To Soothe A Monster
by SheCameToInfectEveryone
Summary: An OC/Banner fanfiction. In which Banner gets the loving he damn deserves. Colleen is an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D that can talk her way in and out of everything, including Bruce Banner's heart.
1. Chapter 1

To Soothe a Monster

Part I

Agent Romanov watched the frail girl devour the food set in front of her in a starved animalistic way. It was not what she would expect from the gorgeous faced and doe eyed portrait of innocence she and Director Fury had been observing through the two way mirror. Romanov sighed. "I give up, Director, who am I looking at?" She asked. "All I see is a starving girl being fed."

Fury gestured at the girl. "This girl has been homeless since she was ten; she turned twenty two a few days ago." He said. "Girls that are twice her size don't last half that long wandering the streets."

Romanov looked back to the girl. There was no muscle mass to her tiny arms, most likely a result from malnutrition over the years. Her hands were small, dainty and incredibly feminine. They were not made to choke or break bones. She was not a fighter. "How has she survived?"

"I found her yesterday persuading a store owner to not only let her get away with stealing over a thousand dollars of merchandise but to _give_ her more yet!" Fury said. "She has amazing powers of persuasion and I want to send her to persuade Doctor Banner to see our way. We give her a home, clothes, warm food and she persuades anyone of anything that we need persuaded."

"Banner? She's so tiny!" Romanov exclaimed. "She can't hold her own against him if he loses control."

"She won't need to." He said. "She can curb anger and diminish it completely within two blinks of an eye. Though, if it helps you sleep better at night, I am assigning you as her mentor. I want you to teach her some method of self-defense; she has two weeks before we ship her off to Calcutta."

As Fury left the room, Romanov looked back to the girl in the room who had finished her vicious devouring and was now sitting with her hands crossed in her lap, looking as adorable and innocent as ever. How could Fury expect her to talk to Banner? The man had the ability to turn into a superhuman with no off button if he was angered. She sighed heavily, she never questioned Fury's assignments before, why start now?

She left the room and walked into the one the girl was being held in. The girl looked at her almost fearfully and it tugged at her heart in a way Romanov had never experienced. "What's your name?" Romanov asked her in the gentlest of tones.

"Colleen," The girl said quietly. "My name is Colleen. What's going to happen to me? Are you going to put me in jail?"

Romanov smiled softly at the girl. "No, we actually need you, Colleen." She said. "I'm Agent Natasha Romanov. We need you to talk some people into helping us. You have powerful skills of persuasion, I hear."

The girl looked down at her hands. "I guess so," She said meekly. "People listen to me, but I don't know how I can help you. I can't fight. I don't even know how to hold a gun."

Romanov smiled. "I can teach you how to do that." She said. "You will have a home, you will have warm food, you will have clean clothes and you will have protection. All in exchange for your cooperation, we just need you to bat those pretty eyelashes at a few people, perhaps only one. You will never go hungry again."

Colleen's eyes lit up at the thought. She nodded slightly. "Okay, I will do whatever you ask of me." She said, her voice was almost as angelic as the rest of her features. Her words were almost sung. Perhaps she could convince Banner without bringing about his other side. How could any man resist such sweet features from a girl with an equally sugary personality to back it up?

"You'll be under my care," Romanov said and held her hand out to the girl. "Come along, let's get you cleaned up and find you a warm bed. What do you say?"

The girl took her hand without much hesitation and Romanov led her from the room to begin training her for something Romanov wasn't sure she could truly handle.

...

It was the fifth time that Colleen had tried to shoot a gun and once again, the recoil had caused her to jam the butt of the gun into her shoulder. Romanov masked a laugh. "Hopefully, we don't have to worry about that gun we placed under the table." She said helping the girl up. "You're more likely to hurt yourself than you are Banner." She smoothed the girl's hair down. "With a sweet face like yours, we shouldn't have to worry."

"I can only hope so," Colleen said nervously. "Considering, I'm about to see him in a couple of hours." She brushed off her clothes and walked over to the table and checked the gun holster beneath the table. She looked to Romanov nervously. "You will not leave me right?"

"The house will be surrounded; Colleen and I will be in the kitchen, watching his every move." Romanov assured her. "I promise you that no harm will come to you. You are and you always will be under my protection."

Colleen visibly relaxed at her statement. "I better go get dolled up." She said. "I can't win him over with words alone." She walked into the bedroom.

As soon as she was out of ear shot, Romanov pressed the communication device in her ear. "Fury, I swear if one hair on her head is out of place after this I am going to feed Banner his own testicles, is that understood?" she hissed into it.

"If he harms her, you are more than welcome to use any means necessary to subdue him." Fury's voice echoed in her ear. "He will not though, she can handle this, Romanov, you need to have more faith in her."

"It's not that I don't have faith in the girl," Romanov whispered. "I don't have faith in him."

The little girl that they had paid to lure Dr. Banner to their hideaway had jumped out the window. "Should've got paid up front, Banner," The man said to himself.

Colleen took a deep breath and revealed herself to the man. "You know, for a man who is supposed to be avoiding stress, you picked a hell of a place to settle." She said with a smile.

The man looked at her in a surprised way; he seemed to take in her size as if he was attempting to judge how dangerous she was. "Avoiding stress isn't the key." He said avoiding her eyes.

Colleen smiled. "Then what is? Yoga, music, hot chocolate?" She asked with an innocent smile on her face.

Dr. Banner actually smiled at her a little. "You brought me to the edge of the city, that's smart." He said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Colleen." She said. She'd never had a last name so she didn't have one to give to him.

"Are you here to kill me, Colleen?" He asked. "That isn't going to work out for everyone." His voice trailed off.

She laughed a little. "No, I'm not here to kill you, Bruce." She said. "Have you really looked at me? I'm five foot two and I have practically no muscle mass and the last time I shot a gun…" She pushed the collar of her shirt over her shoulder to reveal a large bruise. "_It_ didn't work out for everyone." The man smiled weakly at her again. "I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. We need you to come in."

"If I say no?"

Colleen smiled sweetly. "You'll find me to be very persuasive."

"What if the other guy says no?" Banner said darkly.

"You've been two years without an incident; I don't think you want to break that streak." Colleen said but she began to walk back to the table where the gun was hidden. "The world is about to go to war."

"I actively avoid wars." Banner said as he walked towards her.

She began fiddling with her phone to bring up a picture of the tesseract. "This is the tesseract." She said handing him the phone.

His fingers brushed against hers as he took it from her and they lingered a little longer than necessary on her soft skin. She was very warm. He shook his head slightly, banishing the thought from his head as he looked at the picture on her phone. He narrowed his eyes. "What's Fury want me to do? Swallow it?" He asked.

"No," She said with a laugh. "He wants you to find it, it's been stolen. It admits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace. No one knows gamma radiation like you do."

"So, Fury's not after the beast?"

"Of course not, you're not a beast, Banner," She said gently. "Fury needs you."

"He needs me in a cage."

"No one is going to put you in a cage, Bruce."

"STOP LYING TO ME!" He shouted as he lunged forward onto the table.

Colleen backed out of her chair and to the opposite side of the room.

Banner straightened himself and looked up at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, that was really mean." He said. "I just wanted to see what you'd do… why didn't you pull a gun on me?"

Colleen laughed nervously. "It…it wouldn't do any good…" She said with a trembling voice. "I'd more likely shoot myself than you." She was shaking all over.

"Colleen," He said gently. "I'm not going to hurt you." He approached her slowly. "What can I do to make you see that?"

Colleen took a shuddering breath and took a step towards him. "Could… Could you hug me?" She asked hesitantly.

Bruce was taken aback by her request. It'd been such a long time since he'd held anyone. He wasn't even sure if he knew how. She came closer. "It's easy," She said as if she were reading his mind. "I'll show you." She took the last step, closing the gap between them.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head against his chest. Banner's arms lay limply at his sides for a moment. This embrace, it warmed him in such a way that he'd never experienced. He'd just scared the hell out of her and here she was embracing him. His arms slowly came up; one wrapped around her waist and the other tentatively stroked her hair. "I… I will come with you." He whispered into her hair.


	2. Chapter 2

Part II

They'd gotten him on the ship, or plane, either way, here he was. Now it was time for him to start making some demands, well one, specifically. Okay, it was a request and Banner was having a hard time stuttering the words out. "I…I would like Colleen to stay with me in the lab." He said with as much determination as a not yet house broken puppy. "She soothes me with just her presence. I would feel more comfortable if she would be with me."

The way Romanov looked at him let Banner know that if it were up to her, Colleen would be kept on the other side of the ship in an impenetrable metal box. Fury on the other hand was nodding slowly. "I don't see why we can't honor that request." He turned to Romanov, whose jaw would have detached and crashed to the floor if it were possible. "Agent Romanov, could you escort the girl to Dr. Banner's lab?"

"Shouldn't you at least give her the option of refusing?" Romanov snarled at the director. It was clear that Romanov regarded the girl with a deep adoration, perhaps as her own child or a little sister. This was something that Banner shouldn't be messing with and he instantly regretted saying anything at all.

"I would prefer she want to be there, not being made to be there." He said with apologetic eyes.

"Ask her if she'd like to become Banner's charge rather than your own." Fury stated simply.

"If she is my charge, then I should have some say in this."

"Well, you don't. Deal with it."

Romanov huffed and stalked off. Banner knew he'd be regretting this all later.

...

Romanov watched the girl brushing her chestnut hair in the mirror, humming some tune to herself. Colleen was the portrait of innocence. Romanov couldn't believe Fury was even allowing this question to be asked? Colleen was eager to please anyone who crossed her path. Of course she was going to say yes. Romanov shut the door, making the girl jump.

"Natasha!" She exclaimed happily. Her voice was almost a melody. She put down her hairbrush and turned to embrace her mentor. "I missed you! Do we have another mission?"

Romanov directed the girl to the bed and sat her down upon it. Romanov knelt before her, taking Colleen's hands in her own. "Before I ask you this, I need you to know that you can say no, understood?" She said staring deeply into the girl's eyes. "S.H.I.E.L.D will not drop you if you refuse; this is entirely your choice."

Colleen's brows furrowed with concern but she nodded. "I understand, Natasha." She said.

"Dr. Banner has asked that you join him in the lab bu…"

She was cut off by the girl who jumped to her feet abruptly. "Dr. Banner is here?" She squealed excitedly and raced into the hallway, leaving Romanov with only echoes of her repeated squeals of "DOCTOR BANNER!"

Well then.

….

Banner heard Colleen's melodic voice screaming his name way too excitedly. She was coming? She was coming! Happily even! No one was ever happy to see him, especially not so much so that that they were screaming for him. Either way, she was calling to him and he would answer her. He opened the door to the lab and walked out into the hallway to get a better idea of where exactly she was coming from. "Colleen?" He called to her.

"Doctor Banner, Doctor Banner," She cried excitedly. She was coming from his right; he turned to face her and his arms opened to her without his conscious effort. She slowed her pace as she neared him. If the smile on her face was any bigger, it would reach her ears. She snuggled into his arms, into the place she fit perfectly.

"Colleen," He breathed, drawing her a little closer to himself. He placed a kiss on her forehead and knelt down so that his lips were at her ear. "It's only ever Bruce to you, dear Colleen." He whispered.

She pulled away and Bruce looked her over as if he couldn't believe she was actually standing there in front of him. He brushed a stray hair from her face as he fought the urge to take those lips with his own. What was it about this girl? She made him feel… alive.

"I get to stay in the lab with you?" She asked. "I hope you know that I can barely do simple division problems, I can't _actually_ be of any help to you."

Bruce took her hand in his and she intertwined their fingers without any hesitation. That action alone was enough to take his breath away as he led her into the lab. "I need a cheerleader." He said with a smile.

"That could be dangerous too." She said, returning his smile with one of her own. "If I do a split, I could not only break my leg, but I'll likely take down an entire table in the process. You'll find I'm very accident prone. I don't have to try to get hurt, it just happens wherever I go."

He brought her hand to his lips and pressed them lightly to her fingers. "I'll protect you." He said and patted her hand gently before releasing it. "Help yourself to anything in the refrigerator, I promise nothing in there will turn you into a mouse."

"The fact that you needed to tell me that makes me more nervous." She said, her eyes were bright and playful as were her words.

Bruce laughed. "Beautiful and funny," He said. "You're a double threat."

Colleen began to dig through their small refrigerator. "You flatter me, Bruce." She said around a giggle. She let out a small sound of victory, as she removed her prize from the refrigerator; a small can of Pepsi. "I'll never get over having food and drink readily available; you would've found it funny when they first brought me here. They showed me the kitchen and told me that if I was ever hungry or thirsty I could have anything I wanted from the refrigerator. I think I may have actually peed my pants."

Bruce looked at her with a concerned expression. "Why would that be new to you?" He asked.

Colleen looked at him with those beautiful, innocent pools of deep blue as she took a sip of her soda. "I have been homeless for twelve years." She said, her voice had a twinge of hurt in the background. "My parents basically sold me for drugs. I escaped from the man they sold me to before he could put his dirty hands on me. I'm a little too good with words."

"Twelve years? Colleen, how old are you?" He asked. He was very curious, because there were feelings he was having for this petite woman that he had begun to feel dirty about until she mentioned the years. She couldn't have possibly been that young and living on the streets on her own.

"I'm twenty two, Bruce." She said with a smile so seductively sinister that he was almost afraid she had been reading his mind. "I have been on the streets since I was ten."

He was taken aback. What? How? She was so small!

Again, as if she was reading his thoughts, she answered the questions before he could ask them. "I am very, _very_ good with words." She said again. "I can talk my way in or out of almost anything."

Before he had a chance to respond, Tony Stark entered the lab. "What is this?" He said punctuating each word as he gestured to Colleen who had begun to eat her pudding more than suggestively.

She swallowed and put her snack down on one of the tables. She held out her hand to him. "Colleen, Bruce Banner's personal cheerleader," She introduced herself and Bruce couldn't hide a chuckle. That girl was all kinds of ridiculous.

Tony took her hand but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips, setting off a twinge of jealousy inside Bruce. "So he gets a cheerleader and not me?" He exclaimed with mock hurt.

Colleen winked at Bruce and he was fully engrossed with her again. "I'm sure if you ask nicely, Bruce would share me with you." She said the seductive undertone was back.

Bruce's jealous twinge was also back. "I'm actually not willing to share, not even if you ask nicely." He said with a playful smile to mask the jealousy.

Colleen shrugged at Tony. "He has spoken." She said. "Tough break, buddy." She skipped over to Bruce and wrapped him in an embrace, all jealousy melted away almost the moment her skin met his. "I'm all his."

"Well, that's not fair, where do I get one?" Tony said as he walked over to his computer screen.

Colleen snuggled a little closer to Bruce as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders as he set to work on his own computer screen. "I'm actually limited edition." She said. "No more of me in stock."

Tony let out a laugh. "You'd better hold onto her then, Banner." He said. "Someone just might snatch her up if you're not looking."

Bruce pointedly placed a kiss on the girl's forehead. "Then I will sleep with one eye open," he said simply tossing a halfhearted glare in Tony's direction.

"No one's going to steal me." Colleen said firmly as if to put an end to their little argument. "I'm staying right here." She stomped her foot in a manner that was so cute it ought to be illegal. Bruce awarded the action by giving her both of his arms and embracing her more fully.

He released her reluctantly. "We need to actually get some work done." He said almost sadly.

"Yes, Colleen, if you could keep your preciousness down to a minimum, that'd be awesome." Tony said with a sincere smile aimed in her direction.

"Duly noted, 'don't be precious'." She stated miming writing it down in a notebook. She saluted Tony and then placed her arms at her sides, standing perfectly straight. "Will that be all, sir?"

"You're failing miserably at the one duty he's given you." Bruce said around a chuckle.

"I could go stuff my face," She said. "That's thoroughly unattractive; you'd never be distracted by me ever again."

"Whatever it takes, soldier." Tony said around a laugh of his own though he highly doubted anything the petite girl could do could be classified as unattractive. She was the definition of 'precious'. He could tell though that Banner was already deeply rooted to her. There was something they had, or were going to have that Tony could tell would be untouchable.

He'd never for years believe just how right he was.


	3. Chapter 3

Part III

Colleen had passed out on one of their spinning chairs, how she'd managed to curl up in the chair and found it comfortable enough to fall asleep in was beyond either of the two men. Yet, there she was letting out small snores that were just as adorable as anything else. Either way, Bruce had asked that she brought a blanket and a pillow; he didn't want the poor girl to have a sore neck in the morning. She _was_ his responsibility. Unfortunately, the only person on the entire ship that wasn't fine with him having Colleen in his presence was the one person they sent with the blanket and pillow; Natasha Romanov.

She glared at him as she entered the lab with the pillow and it seemed that she had gone to great depths to get the fuzziest blanket on the entire ship. "Wouldn't it be better if Colleen was asleep in her own bed?" She hissed at him as she walked over to the sleeping girl.

There was no shortage of fascination in watching the gentleness that Romanov treated Colleen. Everything else Romanov did had some edging of violence, but it melted away when she was with Colleen. She slid a gentle hand beneath the girl's head and tilted it up to slide the pillow behind her and set her head back down. She pushed the back of the chair to a more reclined position and locked it in place. She then flung the blanket out to wrap it around the girl, tucking her in with the tenderness of a mother to her young child. Romanov ran her fingers through the girl's hair softly and then placed a kiss on the girl's forehead. She then straightened and glared at both Bruce and Tony who had stopped everything they were doing to watch her treatment of the girl.

"I actually didn't want to wake her that was my thought process." Bruce said with a slight bite to his words. It couldn't be helped. This was the one person on the ship who didn't like him for any actual reason.

That did the trick. Romanov had no comeback. It made more sense for Colleen to sleep here than to drag her disoriented across the ship to her room. "Well, don't leave her in here all alone." She said. "If both of you go to bed at the same time, someone must take her to her bed."

"Aye, Aye Captain." Tony said. "I highly doubt either of us will be getting much sleep. We have the common decency to take the girl to bed if we were to leave though."

Romanov bit her lip as she looked back at the girl. "She…" Her voice was soft and concerned. It was an interesting way to see her. "She has nightmares." Romanov ran her fingers through the girl's hair again. "They are quite frequent. There has yet to be a night that she hasn't cried out for someone not to hurt her or to stop doing whatever her nightmare man does. She becomes inconsolable until she's fully woken up but doesn't ever want to talk about what she was dreaming of." She drew her eyes up to Bruce's. "Do not hesitate to call and wake me if she needs me, rather than someone she's unfamiliar with."

Bruce looked at the sleeping girl, she looked so at peace. He wasn't sure he could handle her face being marred with pain. He nodded. "I won't." He assured her.

That seemed to be all Romanov needed to hear as her expression relaxed and she walked out of the room.

"She raised herself in the streets, right?" Tony asked Bruce.

Bruce nodded. "She told me that she could talk her way out of anything, though." He said, watching the girl through his computer screen. "She's so sweet; it's kind of hard to believe that she most likely had a bad past."

Tony shook his head. "I can't believe her own parents sold her for drugs." He snarled. "There is nothing too low for addicts are there?"

Bruce was about to voice his agreement before Colleen let out a small whimper in her sleep. Both men stopped what they were doing, she was closer to Bruce though and he moved closer to her, grabbing the chair's armrest and pulling her to his side just in case. She did not make any noises for five minutes, so Bruce went back to his work. It was short lived.

Colleen let out a high pitched scream that made them both jump. She began to fight off some invisible attacker. Her features contorted to one of intense pain. Bruce didn't like it one bit. He released her from her blanket cocoon that Romanov had put her in. He took both of her small hands in his. "Sweetheart, you're okay. You're safe." He assured her, shaking her arms slightly.

She pulled against his hold. "Don't hurt me. Don't hurt me." She chanted and then the tears came and with each one that fell down her cheeks, Bruce's heart broke just a little bit more. "I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!"

Tony had rushed over to her as well and unlocked the chair, hoping the immediate movement was enough to jostle her awake. Her eyes opened and her breath came in gasps. She looked tearfully from one man to the other and then settled on Bruce. She launched herself into his arms. "Don't let him hurt me." She wasn't completely awake yet. "Don't let him get me."

Bruce wrapped one arm around her back and signaled for Tony to move the pillow and blanket from the chair. He then slid the other arm beneath her legs, cradling her. The girl might have weighed one hundred pounds soaking wet, at least that's how she felt. He sat down in the chair and placed her in his lap. "Shh," He almost whispered to her. "He isn't going to get you. I won't let him hurt you."

Her hand gripped his shirt so tightly that her knuckles went white and her whimpers became sobs and Bruce almost wanted to cry too. "Colleen," He whispered to her and began to rock her slowly. "No one's going to get you. I'm here. I'll beat them up. Tony will help me."

"I told him I'd bring him his money." She whimpered. "I told him I would."

Bruce was furious with whoever had struck this fear into her. He jostled her a little. "Wake up, angel." He pleaded with her. "He's not here. He's not going to get you. I'm here. Nothing is going to get you while I'm here."

Her sobs died to hiccups quickly as she seemed to come a little more to. She loosened her grip on him and eventually brought her hands up to dry her face. She looked up at the two men pitifully. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She said sadly, as if she'd been a burden to them somehow.

"Who is he?" Tony asked with as much tact as an elephant at a ballet.

She avoided his glance. "I don't want to talk about it." She muttered. She got off Bruce's lap. "I should probably go to my bed."

Bruce caught her arm gently. "It would help if you talked about it." He said gently.

She wrenched her arm away from him in the first violent move he'd ever seen her make. "No, it won't." She snapped. It was so unlike her, Bruce didn't try to stop her again as she left the room in a huff.

"Well that went amazingly." Tony said in a classic Stark-like manner.

Bruce watched the girl stalk down the hallway. It was so hard for him to see her like that as the image of those tears replayed in his head, he'd found her so strong, like an angel. He wanted to follow her and hold her until he was sure the monsters in her head had gone away.

….

"I can't actually talk myself out of everything."

Bruce rubbed his eyes and looked away from his computer screen to find the source of the voice. He hadn't even heard Colleen come in. "You don't have to t…" He began a little bitterly.

She cut him off. "Sometimes, you have to borrow money." She said as she walked towards him. "You can't always steal and talk yourself out of it. People start to know your face; start to call the cops as soon as you touch the door handle." She pulled the swivel chair from Tony's side of the room with her. Tony had long since gone to bed. Bruce may have nodded off for a few moments, but nothing longer than that. "He's someone I borrowed from. When you start giving people money it starts to make them see you in a different light…for a little while." She parked the chair in front of him and sat down in it. "He'd find me and I couldn't say anything that would make him stop hitting me."

"Oh, Colleen," He breathed and took her hands in his. "You don't have to tell me this."

"I want to." She said. "I want you to know that I have weaknesses too. I'm not made of steel either; it's okay not to be."

She was revealing her past to comfort him. Was everything this girl did done for someone else? The unfamiliar warmness filled his chest once more. What was this feeling? What was this girl doing to him?

"He hit me, once for each dollar I owed him." She said with a shudder. "I owed him a lot of dollars. He still haunts my dreams. He could find me anywhere. I still live with this fear that he'll show up around every corner."

Bruce squeezed her hands gently. "I'm here now. Bruce Banner is not going to let anyone get you." He said gently. "If anyone dared come near you with so much as a harmful look on their face, I would smack them into next Tuesday, understood?"

She smiled at him and squeezed his back. "Okay," She said. "Just make sure it's next Tuesday and not Monday, alright?"

He smiled and looked back up at his screen. "I'll smack them into next _Wednesday_."

"Even better, Tuesdays aren't good for me." She said as she skipped to the refrigerator. How she could share something like that and just bounce back as if it were nothing was beyond him. She was flawless. She dug around until she found her precious Pepsi.

"Colleen," He said in a firm tone and she popped the can open with a guilty look on her face. "Have you eaten anything yet?"

She had almost brought the can to her lips. She pouted at him in an irresistibly adorable way that made that urge to kiss her sneak up on him again. "Nooo," She whined. "But, I…"

"You put that down right now and eat a real meal." He said firmly. "That will corrode your stomach lining if you haven't had something to eat."

Her pout faded into an angry line and she put the can down with unnecessary force. "You're no fun." She grouched at him as she walked to the door.

"Just keeping you healthy, sweetheart," he called to her.

"Yeah, yeah," She said grumpily and waved him off as she walked out of the room.

Bruce placed a hand on his chest as if there were something actually wrong with it. What was this feeling Colleen gave him? It was something he hadn't felt in his lifetime. It wasn't just her pretty face and petite figure that drove him wild. Everything about the girl was beautiful from her voice to her personality, from the ruby lips to her fingertips. He wanted more than to just physically be with her, he wanted to be with her always. He saw a future, a wedding, children, torturous family vacations, matching mini vans and growing grey on an old porch swing together every time he looked into those deep blue eyes. _What was this?_


	4. Chapter 4

Part IV

"I don't want to go!" Colleen all but screamed in protest as Romanov wrestled with the girl after her talk with Loki.

"He means to unleash the Hulk; perhaps you should remove yourself from this stressful situation." She said as she locked her arms firmly around the girl's waist and wrenched her from Bruce's side.

"Stressful situation?!" He exclaimed. "Where am I supposed to go? You rented my room!" He gave what he hoped was a calming look to Colleen who was the one who seemed the most worked up by the whole event, mostly because Romanov was manhandling her.

"That was just…" Fury began but Bruce cut him off.

"In case you need to kill me, I know," Bruce snarled. "You can't. I've tried!"

Everyone went quiet and looked at him in awe. Romanov's arms loosened enough that Colleen could push past them and she collided with Bruce. His arms wrapped her in a tight embrace. He nuzzled his face in her hair. "I was in a dark place," He meant to snarl the words at them, but they came out more like a whisper. The girl's arms wrapped around him in an almost protective manner, as if she was trying to keep him from falling part. "I put a bullet in my head and the other guy spit it back out."

Romanov moved towards him slowly and grabbed ahold of Colleen, yanking her from Bruce's grasp and despite her cry of protest, tossing her from the room and locking the door. Bruce glared at Romanov with such a look that if looks could kill, she would nothing but a puddle on the carpet. "Exactly what was that supposed to achieve?" He snarled, "You took the one and only person who actually calms me and threw her out of the room. How is that supposed to keep me from becoming angry, Agent Romanov?"

She returned his glare with an equal one of her own. "I don't want her around when you go nuclear." She snapped. "She means a great deal to me."

"And she doesn't to me?" Bruce growled. "I…"

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before a loud explosion blew them all apart, the floor collapsing on him and Romanov and knocking them down to a metal staircase beneath. The fall sent Bruce on his way to a meltdown; he attempted to fight the anger bubbling up in his chest, threatening to take control of him. The next sound he heard didn't help him fight it at all.

Colleen's scream was high pitched and almost full of more fear than she'd had the night before. It sounded as if her nightmares had manifested in front of her. "Colleen," He grunted as he turned onto his back to see if he couldn't see who was hurting her.

Loki had a fistful of Colleen's hair as he looked down upon them. "I've got your _precious_ music box, Banner." He snarled at him as he yanked the girl's hair rather violently, making her cry out again. There was blood trickling from a wound in her head. The sight was making the anger grow bigger; it was close to consuming him. "She is _mine_ now, how does that make you feel? I'll take her just far enough that you can still hear her _pathetic_ screams as I take all that she is for my own."

"Bruce, it's okay," Colleen said in a soothing tone as she dug her nails into Loki's hand, holding her hair. Was she seriously trying to comfort him while her wellbeing was at stake? This girl, this god damned girl.

"SILENCE, YOU INSOLENT WENCH" Loki snapped and used his free hand to backhand her, making her neck jerk in a way that could likely give her whiplash.

That sight was enough to send Bruce over the edge. How dare he strike a woman? How dare he strike _his_ woman? The anger took over him and his skin took on a green tint as he began to transform. Muscles began to double and triple in size, clothes split as the Hulk took over. Before he could get to her though, Loki had already disappeared, along with the girl. They may not have even been there at all.

Hulk was out.

And he was _pissed_.

…

Loki tossed the girl roughly to the floor in front of the glass fortress that he now had Thor trapped in. "You will not try to run or I will cause such atrocities to your body that even your own drug ridden, flea infested mother wouldn't recognize you." He snarled at her before he looked up to his brother.

"What in Valhalla do you need her for, Loki?" Thor pleaded. "Leave the girl alone, she is of no threat to you!"

"I never said she was, as if something so tiny and weak could even think to threaten me," Loki said with a sinister smile. "The idea is laughable to say the least, dear brother."

"I'm full of more surprises than you think, Loki." Colleen said, her voice tinged with fear. "I know there's more reason behind taking me than just pissing off Bruce." She pushed herself to her feet. "Also, insulting my birth mother isn't going to cause me any pain. I hate her more than anyone else possibly could. She is not my mother. Natasha is."

Loki pushed her back to the floor. "I have not given you permission to speak you pathetic excuse for a mortal." He snarled.

Colleen swung her leg out, knocking the god to the floor. She stood up again. "Funny, I didn't remember asking for it either." She spat at him. "This is America, Loki. Freedom of fucking speech."

"Colleen, you should stand down, you are not aware of who you are dealing with." Thor cautioned her, watching the scene with wide eyes. He had no way to protect her and it was driving him mad that the small girl was almost begging Loki to harm her. "He will not hesitate to kill you!"

Colleen on some kind of adrenaline rush, aimed another kick to the god's side as he was still in a state of shock that the "pathetic" mortal had dared strike him. "He won't kill me." She hissed with a knowing smile on her face as she brought back her leg again.

Loki grabbed said leg and wrenched the girl violently to the floor. "Don't you make play that you have any idea of my plans, you foolish child." He snarled as he pushed himself to his feet. "Now, I told you to _stay still_." He snarled as his skin turned a bright shade of blue and his eyes transformed to a violent shade of red. He gripped both of her wrists in his one hand and ice froze them together. He pulled her to her feet and brought her face very close to his own. "You better start behaving or that will be your entire body next time, have I made myself understood?"

"SO DO IT, KILL ME," She screamed at him. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR, LOKI? A DAMN INVITATION? KILL ME."

The God slapped the girl across the face hard enough to knock her out. He rolled his neck against his shoulders. "Her voice is so unnerving." He snarled as he walked back to the control panel. "Now, where were we?" His hand hovered over the button that would drop the cage to the earth in what would be a fatal fall. "Shall we test our immortality, brother?"

Colleen was stirring slowly but to neither of the two gods notice, as she slowly worked her way to Loki's side again. "You do not have to do this, brother." Thor said seriously.

"He's not going to." Colleen took her frozen wrists and struck them with all the force she had against Loki's legs, knocking the god to his knees once again. The girl was clearly insane and suicidal, that was the only reason Thor had for her bravery. Before Loki could react, she struck her frozen wrists against his shoulder. "_You _stay still." She snarled.

Loki laughed in such an evil way that if there were a Satan, he would be shaking in his boots. He grabbed the girl and willed his energy into her, putting her to sleep. "You will be paying for that later, mortal." He hissed at her. Without further interruption he hit the button that sent the cage plummeting to the earth. He picked up the girl from the ground as two of his followers entered the room. He shoved her into the closest ones arms. "Carry this." He ordered.

….

Bruce hated being this thing, being unable to calm down, becoming a complete rage machine without an off button. He highly doubted that even Colleen could bring him back from this. "BANNER, I NEED YOU TO RELAX." Romanov shouted at him, pleading with him. "Loki has taken the girl, I'm just as angry as you are, but if we have any chance at finding her you need to be of sound mind!"

Colleen. Colleen. Colleen. He held onto her name in his head. He called upon her face, the deep blue eyes that he could be lost in for hours if time would allow it, the waves of chestnut hair that framed her face perfectly. The naturally ruby lips with the pouting curve to them that begged to be kissed, a pleading that Bruce had always fought to ignore. He called upon the feeling she gave him when she wrapped those small arms around him. He let the sound of her melodic voice fill his head. One word. His name. "Bruce." He felt himself calming, the muscles began to shrink back to their original size, and the green began to fade from his skin. His breath came in ragged gasps as he looked at his hands in a disbelieving way. They had gone back to their original tan color. He looked at Romanov who still had a gun pointed at him.

"How did you do that?" She asked him as she lowered her weapon.

"Shooting him would have just angered him more, you do know that right?" Bruce said as he ran shaky hands through his. "I didn't do that… she did. I remembered the way Colleen makes me feel. I just focused on that." He placed a hand on his chest. "She's a part of me. I can feel her, here."

Romanov smiled in a strained way at him. "Most call that love, Doctor." She said quietly.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at her. Love? Was that the name of what Colleen did to him? Was that the name of the feelings she gave him, the warmth in his chest every time she looked his way? "I want her back. I don't care if I can calm down on my own." He snarled. "_I don't care_. I want to find Loki and rip him limb from limb for daring to lay a finger on her."

"Well, then, we're going to need you to suit up." Tony's voice came from behind him. Bruce turned to look at him. "I placed a tracking device on her when she was asleep, a small sensor attached to one of the belt loops on her jeans."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. Why was Tony that close to her while she was sleeping in the first place? He shook the thought from his head, because of Tony's quick thinking; they now had a way to find her. He needed to keep his attitude in check until the proper moment. The moment when he would tear Loki apart and scatter every damn piece so he couldn't even hope to regenerate again.

...

Loki eyed his prisoner that he had chained to the wall as she came to very slowly. He had hung her arms high above her without any slack. He was going to make her scream for her beast to come save her so that he got the chance to make him watch as he murdered her slowly, painfully. "I have ways to break you, Colleen." He hissed. "I can invade your every thought, your dreams, and your very soul even. Every waking moment where that no matter who you are looking at, you will be haunted with images of me." Moving forward, he traced a long finger down her jawline, causing her to flinch, which he delighted in. He spoke in a hushed voice, as if to a long lost lover. He brought his lips very close to her own. "Tell me, Colleen, should I take you now before your beloved green beast does?" His finger traced her bottom lip. "Shall I remove that innocence you cling to and implant my being inside yours?" She was turning her face away from him. He drove his hand back into the chestnut waves and yanked her to face him. "Look into my eyes, Colleen! How would you like it if I made you _mine_? I can strip away your control until you are but a ghost of the woman who was so idiotically brave back on the ship. I can make you bear my child. Cooperate with me and I won't have to do any of those things. All I ask is that you call your green pet to me." The blue eyes had filled with tears, but they were full of something else, a stubborn defiance. He pulled her hair so that her neck was almost craning too far. "I could put you to sleep, you know. You would be unable to fight me and you would never know then, if I had taken your body or not. Yet you will always know that you_ are _mine."

Loki was the product of nightmares. Colleen had to be the same brave woman she had been on the ship. She would not call for Bruce. She would not call for anyone. She would have to be the only person who died if someone had to in order to please this God of Mischief. "I will not call him!" Colleen cried. Her voice was strangled with fear and it was far from the brave yell she was attempting to muster. "You are not this person, Loki." She needed to call upon her talent for words, this was a much more intense situation than any she'd attempted to talk herself out of before, but she had faith in herself. She had faith in Loki. "You are misunderstood, Loki. You are not this person. You are misunderstood and hurt, seeking the love and approval you were never given in your life. You were raised in the shadow of your brother. I know how you are feeling, Loki!"

Raised in the shadow of his brother? How dare this pathetic mortal act like she knew him? As though she knew exactly what made him so 'misunderstood'. He let an animalistic snarl escape his lips as the back of his hand flying reflexively to meet with her face. "YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK OF ME AS THOUGH YOU KNOW ME, MORTAL! YOU ARE MINE AND YOU SHALL CALL TO HIM BECAUSE I DEMAND IT OF YOU!" He gripped her hair roughly once more and he forcibly took her lips with his own for a violent and unloving kiss. He pulled away from her and growled savagely. "You couldn't even pleasure the drunken scum that sleep within the piss filled streets that you have raised yourself in. What would make you think that you could ever please me enough to make me feel this emotion of love that I desire?" He took her face in both of his hands. "I will take you until you can no longer stand, I can continue to strike you until you can no longer see. You will never see your precious Banner again."

Tears fell from her eyes but no whimpers escaped her. "Why do you even claim me as your own then?" She snarled. "You could have killed me on the vessel, but you didn't and you do not now." She glared into the green eyes of the hurting god. "Out of all the women on that damned ship you could have had, you singled me out, the girl who gives love to the one you refer to as a beast, an animal, a creature, not a man. You crave that unwavering love I give Bruce. If I can love him, what would stop me from loving you?" Loki was not the only one in this godforsaken room with a silver tongue. She could hurt him too and she would. "YOU MAKE PLAY THAT YOU ARE ABOVE HIM BUT INSIDE YOU THINK YOURSELF JUST AS MUCH OF A MONSTER IF NOT MORE OF ONE THAN YOU CLAIM HE IS." She had found her voice now. "_I. WILL. NOT. CALL. HIM."_

"I took you because you are their weakness, woman!"

"Yet you call me your own, you don't have to do that, you don't have to stake your claim."

"IF YOU WANT A MONSTER FROM ME THEN I SHALL SHOW YOU A TRUE MONSTER!" His hands gripped her wrist as ice started to creep from them and coat her hands all the way down the length of her arms where they stopped. His skin had become the blue color that matches her eyes and his eyes that violent red. "I want them to hear your screams. For them to know just how vulnerable they are for keeping a wretched little pet like you!" His voice was a snarl as he brought his hands away and struck her face again. "Do not pretend you know my story." Another slap. "Do not pretend you understand me!" Another smack was once more brought to her face. The god was determined to be relentless until she gave in. "Scream his name you stubborn girl! Are you not hurting? You think yourself so brave and pure! Scream for them, Colleen! I am above them! I shall rule them and show them how wrong they are about the world!"

Colleen coughed, blood trickled from a bruised and beaten open cheek. Tears escaped, but only tears, she would not make a noise. "I will not call him." She said weakly. "I'm not pretending to understand you, Loki. You're just a boy desperate for love hiding inside a man. This is a cry for help. I do understand you, Loki." Her words were hitting home, she could tell as she watched him break inside through his eyes. "This is why you are hurting, my words are grabbing enflamed nerves and tangling them with others until they are a knot of pain. This is _not_ how things have to be and you see that." Tears quickened as the cold began to bite her skin. "You have yet to find a single weakness in my love for Banner. You _crave_ it so bad you can taste it. You want someone to love you this way, to take such abuse without a cry if it meant you were safe."

She was tearing away at him, ripping away each layer more violently than the next. He slapped her again. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING. I AM NOT DESPERATE NOR A BOY!" Another smack. "I want nothing of what that beast has! He is frail and must support himself on another like the weak disgusting mortal he is." His smacks were losing strength. "Scream for him, Colleen. Cry for him. _Sob_ for him. Call for your murderous wretch!"

"STOP IT, LOKI!" That was the closest to screaming he was going to get. She was in so much pain, she wanted desperately to give in and call Banner to her, to come and beat the ever living fuck out of this God but she needed to be brave. "STOP! YOU ARE NOT THIS PERSON. YOU ARE NOT. And you must know by now that no matter what tortures you bestow upon me I will not call him." For the first time since he'd stolen her, she let out a small sob, a peace offering, a show of weakness in herself. "I care for you, Loki. You're a strong, pure soul stuck in an aching shell." Her voice was soft; she was verbally hugging the man. "Everything is going to be okay."

His hand rose in frustration and she shut her eyes against the pain that she was sure would come. His eyes glassed over with tears from all the emotions she had ignited inside him. Instead of hitting her, he shattered the ice around her arms. It fell to the floor in chunks. His breathing was heavy as he tried to fight the war raging in his chest. What had this woman done to him? How had he let her infect him with her words? "Why do you care about me?! After all that I have put you through? How can you tell me in that soft, sweet voice that everything will be alright? If I lose this war, I shall be condemned to a fate worse than anything you could ever imagine. If I win, I can rebuild the world and rid myself of this ache. You could live there. I would never allow you to be homeless again." Inside, Loki was crumpling and he didn't understand why as tears escaped his eyes.

_Misunderstood, good call._ Colleen thought to herself. "Loki, look at me. See what you've done to me?" She knew her once referred to 'angelic' face was bruised and bleeding. "This is what you are doing to New York! We were fine and you're breaking us. Freedom is not a bad thing, Loki." She winced as her arms were bitten once more by the chains. "I can care for whoever I please, that is one of the beauties of freedom." She said softly. "Everything _will_ be okay, Loki Laufeyson."

The god brought his eyes to her face and instantly felt as though he had trampled on the only flower in a garden of weeds. He ran his fingers over the chains holding her and released them. "It…perhaps you are right. They are playing hero though and I am the villain. I do not come out of this on top, Colleen." Her arms fell and she began trying to rub feeling back into them, blood appeared where the chains had broken the skin. The feeling his chest became more constricting. He watched her for a long moment. "Go, Colleen, run. Run back to your monster and leave this one to reap what he has sown."

Colleen closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around the hurting god. "Banner is not a monster." She said, hands even caressed his back in a soothing manner. "Neither are you." She held onto the god with tenderness she usually reserved for Bruce. Loki needed this, Bruce would forgive her. "You're like a bird with broken wings, it's not about how high you fly, it's about the song you sing."

Loki moved to return her embrace as he completely crumpled on the inside. Complete shock was written into his features as he looked down at her. "How… how are you capable of so much kindness?" It was an honest question as he found himself melting into her embrace.

"Call it my super power." She said as she pulled back to look up into his eyes. "Not all heroes can fly or run through walls. Some heroes are simply heroes for knowing when enough is enough and putting a stop to the bad things happening. I believe that there are angels among us, they come to us in our darkest hours."

He was overwhelmed by all the feelings she was making him feel. He tipped her chin up, with gentle fingers this time. "Then you are one of them, the most beautiful of them all. Might I kiss you, Colleen?" He asked softly, he ran one finger across the abused cheek. "Right here? I will not kiss your lips again."

Colleen nodded. "Yes." Was the only word she could squeak out.

He bent down and placed gentle lips upon the same cheek he had abused. One hand sought hers on its own accord and he threaded their fingers together. His lips traveled from her cheek to her ear, his voice was as gentle as he could make it. "I am sorry for everything that I have done to you."

The moment was shattered along with the glass beside them and Loki released her as he looked upon the face of his brother. Thor looked from Loki to Colleen's battered and bruised face. This was not going to end well. Thor grabbed the girl and threw her over his shoulder. "Do you have a death wish, dear Colleen?" He asked. "I must get you away from him."

"Bring her back to me, Thor. Hasn't your father ever taught you to take things that aren't yours?" Loki snarled.

Colleen could almost hear the gears turning in Thor's head. "Don't you dare," She hissed at him.

"You _feel_ for her."


	5. Chapter 5

Part V

"You _feel_ for her." Thor said in a surprised way.

Loki's eyes betrayed him, how _wasn't _he supposed to feel for the girl? She'd reached into his chest and breathed all the warmth she had onto his ice cold heart. Thor smiled in a way that could be considered evil. "If you do not close the portal then I will throw her from the building!"

"WHAT?!" Colleen screamed. Thor did not threaten women. He couldn't possibly mean those words. "Thor, I hardly see how that's going to help."

"No, you won't, brother." Loki said, his voice was tinged with nervousness though. "Put the girl down, this isn't about her."

"Close the portal, Loki." Thor dropped the girl from his shoulder, to his arms, where he dangled her over the edge of the roof. "I will count to three. Do I look to be in a gaming mood?"

"Thor, this is unreasonable, put the girl down!"

"One"

"THOR, SHE IS A WOMAN."

"Two"

"SHE'S BARELY MORE THAN A CHILD EVEN! PUT HER DOWN."

"You want me to release her?" Thor asked. "I will grant your wish." He let go of the girl.

"NO!" Loki ran forward to look for her, to see if something had caught her, anything, anyone.

The girl's screams were short lived and Loki could not see her. Loki threw a punch to his brother. Just as he did so, a flash of red and yellow came up beside them. "Were you looking for this?" said Stark's voice. Loki let out a sigh of relief when he saw the metal man had Colleen safely in his arms. The girl was beside herself in fear though, tears were yet again escaping her eyes, and her skin had gone pale in fright.

Loki raised his hands in surrender. "Please, _please_ don't hurt her more than I already have." He pleaded.

"Close the portal!" Thor demanded.

"PLACE THE GIRL ON SOLID GROUND."

"Stark, drop her."

Stark let go of the girl, allowing her to fall for a moment before swooping down to rescue her. "STOP. _STOP! _I will close the portal!" Loki said and grabbed his scepter. "I will close the portal, if you put the girl on the ground, near her precious green beast."

Stark honored that part of the deal and dove to the ground below with the girl in his arms. He placed Colleen on the ground about a mile away from where Bruce was taking on the remaining few of Loki's monsters. "Be Careful." He cautioned. "Hawkeye put an arrow on Banner; I have Colleen coming in on his right. Do not let her get hurt."

Colleen was not listening, all she saw was Bruce, green and huge, but he was her Bruce and that was all she wanted. "BRUCE!" She screamed with all the force she had. Her voice was such a high pitch that it was almost on a spectrum that only animals could hear. "BRUCE BANNER!" She ran towards him.

…

In order to help defeat the monsters that Loki had sent to New York, Bruce had to let the Hulk take over. It hadn't taken long for this transformation, he just thought of the way Loki had slapped Colleen. He filled his head with the sound of her terrified screams. The Hulk wasted no time in taking over and smashing anything in his path. He heard her voice though, her real voice, not the one he'd been replaying inside his head. She was screaming for him. He turned to look for her. She was racing towards him from about a mile away. He could see her chestnut hair waving in the wind. Her voice was high pitched and desperate as she called to him. _She was alive_. "Colleen," He breathed and began to run towards her as well. "COLLEEN"

As they moved towards each other, Bruce's muscles began to shrink. His steps became smaller as all of his limbs took their original shape. He wasn't noticing any of that though, every single one of his thoughts had centered on Colleen and getting to her. The green faded and the tan reappeared to replace it. She screamed his name again and again and for each one he brought out her own from his lips. Arms outstretched as they neared each other. He took in the bruises on her cheek, the cut on her head. He hoped Thor didn't kill Loki. Bruce wanted the pleasure of doing that.

They collided roughly; sobs were ripping violently from Colleen's chest. Bruce wrapped her in his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him leverage to pick her up, which he did, rocking side to side, a hand came up to pet her hair. "Oh, Colleen, oh baby," He stammered as tears of his own joined hers. "I'm here, I'm here." He brought his hand up and saw that it was tan, not green. He smiled and pulled his Colleen closer. "We will never be separated again." He whispered into her ear and began showering her cheeks in kisses, his tears still streaming down his cheeks. He thought he would never see her alive again. He never wanted to let her go as he placed her feet back on the ground and he bent down a little to begin inspecting her.

He took her face gently between his hands and inspected the bruises. Each wound he found on her was earning Loki one punch, to the affected area on his body, violently. He kissed her bruises with extreme tenderness. Her left eye had become swollen as well and was likely going to bruise as well. How could anyone bring themselves hurt such a beautiful girl? She was such an innocent, sweet and pure soul. Loki was a wretched, evil, _evil _person to hurt her like this. His hands fell to her shoulders and down her arms where both had almost identical cuts that were also bruised around the edges. "You poor baby," He whispered soothingly. "Are you hurt anywhere else? Did he… did he hurt you somewhere that you can't show me?" If Loki raped this woman there would be no stopping Bruce from murdering him in the most violent of manners.

To his relief, Colleen shook her head. "My legs hurt though." She stammered and turned around pointing to the backs of her thighs. They were bruised a violent purple right around where they bent at the knee. That was going to make doing _anything_ uncomfortable.

Bruce turned her back around gently and pulled her back into his embrace. "You're safe now; I'll never let anyone hurt you _ever_ again." He whispered soothingly into her ear and began raining kisses on her unharmed cheek. "Never," He punctuated with a kiss to her cheek, "ever," a kiss to her forehead, "_again_" he hesitated, wanting to capture those lips with his but this was not the time, not in her fragile state. There would be another time. Instead, he placed a kiss right at the corner of said lips. "I will lay waste to anyone who dare try." He held her tightly, she was alive and she was safe in his arms, and as far as he was concerned, everything was alright with the world because she was someone he could not live without.


	6. Chapter 6

Part VI

"Where is the girl?" Fury asked Romanov. "Loki is requesting final words with her specifically."

"Exactly why should we grant that wish?" Romanov snarled. "I have thrown her into harm's way multiple times at your order but this time I am putting my foot down. She has been through enough today!"

"Natasha… he will not harm her." Fury said gently. "He just wants to talk to her."

"She is like _my child_, Fury." Romanov hissed. "You are asking a mother to put her child in a room with her personal boogie man, the product of every nightmare she has ever had in her life. I don't give a damn if he doesn't want to hurt her, I don't care what the hell he has to say to her. He doesn't deserve another second with her."

"Don't you want her to be given the choice?"

"No." Romanov said simply. "She will say yes, because she's blindingly sweet and innocent and wishes to please you, me and everyone who looks at her twice."

"Natasha," Fury was pleading. "Please, just let me know where the girl is."

"HER NAME IS COLLEEN. NOT 'THE GIRL'," Romanov shouted at him.

"Where is Colleen?" Fury tried again, making a mental note to use Colleen's name from now on.

Romanov crossed her arms in front of her chest. "She's receiving BH therapy." She said simply.

Fury narrowed his eyes at her. "What exactly is BH therapy?"

….

Bruce had Colleen curled his lap as he rocked her gently. He whispered sweet nothings into her ear and placed kisses along her jawline, on her forehead, the top of her head. He would bring the small hands to his lips as well, kissing each finger. Tears still escaped down the girl's cheeks and he caught them where he could with gentle fingers. It was killing him to see the usually bouncy and smiling woman to be so broken. A hand cradled her head. He would bring her out of this somehow.

Romanov opened the door and gestured to the pair on the bed. "See? Banner Hug Therapy," She said with a smile that faded quickly. "You're going to have quite a time attempting to wrench her from him when you tell him where you want to take her."

Bruce shielded the girl from them in his arms. "Where do you want to take her?" he demanded.

"Loki has asked to speak with her onc.."

"No." Bruce snapped.

"Ask her if she wants to oblige him."

"No."

Colleen straightened up; her voice came out strangled as one's would from crying for hours. "Bruce, I will go see him." She said and pushed herself with a small ounce of struggle. She placed a kiss on Bruce's cheek. She was always trying to soothe him, even when she should be soothing herself. "It's okay."

…

Colleen entered the room; her breath came in gasps as the throbbing in her face seemed to get worst. Loki was in chains, beyond capability to harm her but when he moved, she flinched. She remembered the slapping, it flashed in her head and she stumbled back into the wall. "Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me." She begged.

Loki was a broken man, his eyes held tears at her words. "Dear heart, I do not wish to cause you any harm." He said gently. "I will never hurt you again, I promise. I just want to ask for one more of those hugs before they take me away. Could I have one of those?"

Colleen hesitated, her shoulders were visibly trembling. Yet, she still took careful steps towards him. She closed the distance between them slowly and she wrapped her arms around him, turning her head to rest her good cheek against his chest. Loki moved slowly to return her embrace and placed a kiss against her forehead. "Thank you, love." He whispered as he used a gentle hand to tip her chin. There was an urge to capture her lips in his but he fought it. "Everything is going to be okay." He promised her.

She moved away and placed a hand on his chest. "I am here. It took all that torture for me to move in." She said soothingly. "I don't plan on moving out. If you miss me, close your eyes and make a wish. I will come because I am always with you. I do not leave. I never leave."

The god choked back an actual sob. This girl, even as she was breaking down still had the ability to touch his heart. "I will remember that, Colleen." He said quietly and ran a hand through her hair. "Go, now, sweetheart, go back to your Banner. I fear he believes I am plotting your death in here."

She turned away from him and walked back to the door and into Bruce's arms, who was waiting right outside the door to capture her in them. He shot Loki a glare that if looks could kill, Loki would no longer exist. It was only right. He was the sole reason for the absence of the smile on that beautiful girl's face.

….

Romanov took Colleen's shoulders. "We're going to go get you all fixed up, okay?" She said gently as she steered her away from Bruce. "Banner, please leave this one to me and go otherwise distract yourself until we are done."

Bruce sighed heavily but obeyed the request. Romanov wanted some time with her. He would go talk to Stark while they patched the girl up from the tortures inflicted upon her. As he walked into the lab that he and Stark had shared for the past two weeks, he heard her voice again.

"You crave that unwavering love I give Bruce. If I can love him, what would stop me from loving you?" Her voice came muffled, with static, as if she was speaking from a phone.

Bruce froze in the doorway, Stark was listening to some small device he had sitting on the counter. That was undoubtedly Colleen's voice. She said she loved him? "Love" and "Bruce" were in the same sentence. "What are you listening to?" He asked, making Stark jump.

"Jesus." Stark exclaimed as he attempted to muffle the device, making it hard to hear what was being said. "Nothing! I'm not listening to anything at all!"

Bruce walked over to him and gently pushed the man's arms aside, he wanted to hear her say it again. Her voice came out of the small button shaped device again; it was strained with tears and pain. "You have yet to find a single weakness in my love for Banner. You _crave_ it so bad you can taste it. You want someone to love you this way, to take such abuse without a cry if it meant you were safe." There was a loud slapping sound and then Loki's voice roared through it.

"What is this?!" Bruce asked him desperately.

"It's the tracking device I hid on Colleen." Stark said looking a little like a kicked puppy. "I put a microphone on it. It picked up the entire conversation she had while Loki was torturing her. He was torturing her because he wanted her to scream for you and she wouldn't because she loves you."

"Loves.. me.." Bruce repeated. "How can she I'm a mons…"

Stark cut him off by pressing on some part of the button device. Colleen's voice came again. "Bruce is not a monster." She said soothingly.

Bruce's chest was overwhelmed with warmth and tears pricked his eyes. Loved him! She loved him! That was exactly what he felt for her. He loved her too! He left the room and went to find the beautiful girl to tell her that her feelings were returned.

….

Colleen sat on the bed that she and Bruce had been sharing earlier. She was completely cried out. She was still sad, hurt, scared and confused but she had no more tears to shed. A knock at the door made her look over. Bruce had returned and his face was overcome with emotion, immediately Colleen threw out all of her feelings to focus on his. She stood. "What's wrong, Bruce?" She asked with concern written all over her face.

Bruce smiled softly at her. Well, he'd gotten himself this far so of course his vocal cords were going to freeze up on him. He opened his mouth for a second with no sound coming out. He was frightened that he was going to remain that way until he let out a strangled whimper. At least there was noise coming out. "I…" He stammered, losing himself in those pools of blue that were her eyes. What if she had only been saying it to save him? What if she hadn't meant it? All of those questions melted away as he delved into the emotion behind those eyes. She had dropped all concerns of her own to focus on him. If that was not love, he would never know what was. He wanted to hear it from her lips, to know for sure that she truly did. "Colleen, do you love me?" He asked softly.

The girl's face became very conflicted; he couldn't interpret it at all and that worried him more than anything else. "I'm sorry." This wasn't an apology of feelings not returned. She was apologizing for _loving_ _him_. She was acting as if it was a crime as she dropped her eyes to the floor.

Bruce crossed the room in four steps and with gentle fingers; he tipped her chin up to look into those gorgeous eyes. "What on earth are you apologizing for, sweetheart?" He asked as he used his other hand to brush a stray hair away from her face. He smiled warmly at her and leaned down to bring his lips close to hers as he whispered, "I love you, too." He closed the distance between them, capturing her lips with his gently; she tasted of every sweet nectar in existence and perhaps some not. Slowly, and tentatively, as if not sure of what to do, her lips moved against his. One hand entwined in his hair and the other began to trace patterns along his cheek.

He was so glad he'd waited for this moment.

Her kisses became more sensual as she became more comfortable with what she was doing. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair as she pushed herself onto her tiptoes to press against him more forcefully. Her other hand fell from his cheek and began to travel down his neck to his shoulders, settling on his chest. His body was screaming yes, dear god, yes but he needed to stop this before it went too far. "Angel," He said but she whimpered in protest, pushing his face back to her own. He continued kissing her for another moment before he pulled back again. "Colleen, we need to do some talking now." He said gently.

"No," She breathed in such a purely sensual way that it sent shivers down his spine. It made resisting her almost impossible. "No talking, just kissing." She placed both of her hands on his neck and pulled him to her lips again.

He let out a small whimper against her lips. She was not going to make this easy. Her hands traveled to the front of his shirt. Her kiss was distracting him from what she was doing for a moment. She was unbuttoning his shirt, _very_ quickly.

His hands caught hers firmly and he dodged her next kiss to place one on her cheek as she let out a sound of protest. "Colleen," He said with a soft but firm voice. "Baby, baby," She pressed a kiss to his neck. "Stop, please, _stop_."

She looked him with confused eyes. "You don't like this?" She then demonstrated what she meant by _this_ by placing another kiss on his neck, she began pulling him towards the bed. This was going to end with him having to break her fragile heart. He was already beginning to hate himself.

"Colleen, let's take this slow," He pleaded, not resisting her pull though. "We can't rush this, baby."

Colleen was beyond hearing him as she all but ripped his shirt from him and placed a kiss on his chest. His hands were not cooperating with him in putting a stop to this. She drew back and he almost sighed in relief until she released herself from her own shirt. Her bra was deep purple in color and edged with black lace flowers. Damn. Damn. _Damn._

"Sweetheart, _no_," He was trying so hard to make her see that this was not the time. She was too fragile. He wanted this to mean something besides him taking advantage of her when she was in a weak place. What would it take to get through to her? This is _not_ how he wanted this moment to happen. She placed herself on the bed and drug him down on top of her.

_Now_ was time to put a stop to this. This had gone on long enough. Her hips began to grind against his. Yes, now was a good time. He caught both of her wrists in one of his and pinned them down above her head as gently as he could. His other hand placed against one side of her waist and pressed down gently, controlling her misbehaving hips. "Colleen," He said firmly. "I don't want this. Not now."

Her eyes, once heated and sensual now filled with frightened tears that Bruce didn't understand. Her voice that had been tinged with arousal now trembled as she asked the question that was singularly responsible for shattering the man's heart into nothing but dust. "Are you going to hurt me?"

Her words broke him and he released her, only to gather the trembling girl into his arms. One thing he never ever wanted was to see tears in those eyes that had been put there by his own doing. "No, No, Colleen, you sweet, innocent girl," He whispered soothingly. "I am trying to save your virtue and you are not making it easy. I don't want you to look back on this moment and regret it. You are in a dark place. You may not even want this. You just think you do right now." He took her face between his hands. "I love you. I want this moment to happen when you are absolutely positive that is what you want. It has nothing to do with me not wanting you. Trust me when I say, I _definitely_ want you, Colleen."

She relaxed at his words. "I love you too, Bruce Banner."

Music to his ears.

He brought his lips close to hers. "Run that by me once more, I'm not sure I heard you properly." He said with a warm smile.

Colleen winked at him. "I love you, Bruce Banner." She drew out each word and his heart mended itself. She made him talk, she made him feel and she made him show everything that he had all these past years attempted to conceal. He was irrevocably in love with this woman and nothing would tear them apart again. She was a part of him and him of her.


	7. Chapter 7

Part VII

Bruce was still regarding Tony with shock as he had been for the past five minutes. Tony sighed and rolled his eyes. "Banner, it really isn't this big of deal," He said simply as he crossed his arms. "She needs a home and you need her and vice versa."

Bruce gaped at him and looked back at Colleen who was saying her goodbyes to Romanov. He had given the women the space they needed, knowing that there would be tears between them both. Romanov was giving up her child, Colleen was leaving the closest thing to a mother she had ever been given. It was not something he needed to be in the middle of. They needed their own moment and he would let them have it. "Tony, I don't know what to say." He finally stammered out.

"You say yes." Tony said simply and clapped the man's shoulder. "You only have two options in this. Yes or yes."

Bruce smiled warmly at the man who had become like a brother to him over the past few weeks. "Those are a lot of options; it may take me a few hours to come to a decision." He said sarcastically. "You have no idea what this means to me and what it will mean to her. I fear she just may fall in love with you."

"She will never love me the way she loves you, Bruce." Tony said but there was an edging of hurt in his voice. "You don't need to worry about that. So, I assume you accept, because I have not given you any choice but to accept my proposition that you and Colleen move into Stark Tower with me." He stuck out a hand to Bruce.

Bruce let out a small laugh and took Tony's hand firmly in his own and shook it. "Deal," He said around a laugh.

Tony smiled and patted Bruce's hand with the one Bruce wasn't already holding. "Colleen and I are your family now, Bruce and you are ours." He said kindly. His words were of the deepest sincerity as he released Bruce's hand. "Dysfunctional, definitely, but we're a family and families stick together."

Bruce had honestly never been more touched in his life, Tony's words struck home. He'd never really had a family that _stuck together_. Abused as a child by his father, cut off from all ties to humanity when he became Hulk, no one wanted to stay around someone who might throw you through a wall for saying his tie didn't match his shirt. He'd never had a real family. He didn't care if they were dysfunctional as Tony had called them. This was a family, a real family and he would gladly accept it.

…

Colleen had asked for Bruce to give her an hour alone after she had finished her tearful farewell to Romanov. It wasn't as if she was leaving entirely but Colleen had grown very close to her and she feared that she may have separation anxiety once she exited the ship. She waited to watch Bruce turn the corner and then she snuck out of her room. She had other uses for this hour than to dwell on things to come and depress herself further. She wanted to go and say a final goodbye to Loki, a proper one now that she had calmed down a little. He deserved as much.

Colleen tiptoed down the hall to the room they had been holding Loki captive in. The god needed soft words, to know that he was forgiven before whatever horrors were about to be done to him. She was worried for him, scared even. He did not deserve pain. She put her hand on the door handle and found it already open. She pushed it open and walked into the room.

Loki was not there, but a woman was, an incredibly beautiful woman stood in the center of the room. Colleen was about to ask her where Loki was when she glanced at the floor.

There was blood there. She fought a scream and tears filled her eyes. Her voice came out half strangled as she fought a sob. "Where is he? Di…Did you hurt him? Are you going to hurt me?" Violent flashbacks took over her mind, the sight of her own blood on her hands from bleeding cheeks and repeated strikes to her face. The ground rushing to meet her as she fell through the air, she blinked to silence them and a single tear fell down her cheeks. "I... I just want to say goodbye.."

The woman moved forward as if to catch Colleen if she was to fall. "I will not hurt you, Colleen. Loki is… Loki is… free." The woman's voice was catching with every breath. It was clear that speaking was hurting her.

Colleen's breathing was coming too quickly. She only just noticed that the woman also had blood on her shirt. Colleen backed herself into the wall violently. She needed the pain to tell her that this wasn't a dream. Her back screamed with pain and she expected that she had added another bruise to her collection. This was all real. "He…" She struggled to breathe as a voice snarled in her ear threats to deflower her.

_Stop. STOP._ She pleaded with her own mind. "Loki, he is a good man. He is just hurting inside…" More tears escaped her eyes and she wasn't sure what part of her was doing the crying. Was it the part that feared for her own life? Was it the part that feared for his? The part that missed him? The part that longed for Bruce? The part that felt guilty for not telling him where she was going in the first place? So many emotions were attacking Colleen at once. "I just wanted to say goodbye. Did he… did he go to Asgard?" The next tears that escaped her eyes were sad ones, sad that he had not said goodbye.

Tears began to slip down the woman's face as well, cutting through the grime that had collected there. "Loki… he is no longer in pain. No one will hurt him anymore and… he wished to no longer hurt you." The woman was struggling with her words. "He told me to protect you."

"Protect me?" Colleen pushed herself from the wall and took a slow step towards the woman. She was crying. Colleen did not like for anyone to cry. "It's okay." Her voice shook but there was a soothing undertone to it. "Bruce protects me. You don't have to. If there are too many things for you to do already, don't worry about me."

Colleen reached one hand shakily out to the woman but then pulled it back fearfully. Another part of her did not want to hold this woman and did not want to be held by her. That part of her was still terrified and that part screamed for Bruce or Romanov, for arms she knew and made her feel safe. She took a shuddering breath. "Everything will be okay, miss. Loki likes Asgard better, I think. He will be happier there. He needs to be away from the bad things he has done to heal."

The woman shut her eyes tightly and then spoke after a moment. "My name is… Veiri. I have long taken care of many, to care for you would not be a burden, but a privilege that I do not deserve." Her glance dropped to her blood stained hands. There was a long moment of silence before Veiri said the exact words Colleen had been hoping not to hear. "Loki is dead."

Colleen bit back a sob as she looked at the blood on Veiri's hands. Had she tried to save him? Colleen did not want the answers. Had not enough been taken from her already? She did not need this as well. Colleen's insides were crumbling but she forgot her emotions as she turned her attention back to Veiri. Veiri was hurting. Colleen stepped over her fear again and wrapped her arms around Veiri. Bruce said her hugs were healing. Romanov said the same. Even Thor said that Colleen made sadness run and hide. Colleen needed to make Veiri's ache go away. "He is not dead." She whispered. "He is not dead, and I promise that when you close your eyes he will come to you." She pulled back to put her fingertips over Veiri's heart. "He lives on in here. He can be your guardian angel. He made it to heaven, I'm sure of it."

Veiri did not speak, she just nodded. "Thor is in far more need of your embraces than I, Colleen. He has lost a brother." She said.

Colleen nodded. She would seek out the thunder god in a moment. Embracing him may be more difficult. He had thrown her from the tower. She would fight her fear again. If Thor needed her, she would be there for him. "Thor says that I make sadness run and hide." She said and hugged Veiri once more. "Has yours hidden? I do not want you to hurt anymore."

"You have pushed it away into hiding for now. Although it will take a long time for the hurt to leave, all things take time." Gently, Veiri detached Colleen from her and motioned towards the exit.

Colleen took the hint and left to seek out Thor. He was in the room where they had done all their plans of attack. Exactly where she expected to find him, he was leaning against a wall. His face was a hard mask to hide the sadness she knew must exist there. "Thor." She whispered. She did not want to sneak up on him.

He straightened and his eyes fell on her. "Colleen… you ought to be resting." He took in her features, the reddened eyes. "What has happened? Did someone hurt you?"

Freefalling, she was freefalling and the ground was coming at her too quickly. She froze for a moment and even her breathing stopped. _He needs you_. She commanded herself even though her heart beat so loudly in her ears. She shook off the paralyzing fear and almost gasped as she began to breathe again. "I am the same amount of hurt as I was before." She said quietly. "You're hurting." She took slow steps towards Thor, as fear threatened to paralyze her again with every inch she got closer to him. "I know what you need, Thor. You need only ask."

There was a confused and pained look on his features. The fact that she was approaching him after what he had done, it was puzzling. Even further he was puzzled by her words of what he needed. Had she discovered… no, they had all promised not to tell her. Perhaps she assumed that Loki had been taken to Asgard. "I do not know what you mean, Colleen. You need your rest. Banner will be upset if he finds you walking around so soon."

Ah, so no one planned to tell her what had really happened to Loki? The voice screaming at her various ways Thor would kill her once she was close enough was silenced, even though her legs throbbed as if to remind her. "I have to chase the sad away." She said, her soothing tone was back. It quivered with the fear she was fighting to be near him. "You've lost your brother, Thor. Veiri told me."

She took his hand; hers were so much smaller than his that she could wrap her entire hand around his index and pointer fingers. The voice was sobbing, begging her to go back to Bruce. She took a deep breath and allowed a few tears to escape as she looked up into Thor's eyes with intensity as if she planned on invading the god's soul and taking up residence there. "You need me now, please, dear Thor, let me do my job. Ask me." She was speaking in barely more than a whisper. He needed to be held but she would not force it on him. He needed to ask for it.

His mask fell away the moment she took his hand in hers. Chase the sadness away… she was good at that, he had seen her do it countless times for others. He turned towards her; he decided that if she was going to chase his sadness away then he would have to do the same for her. "Little mortal with a strong heart, Colleen… will you do me the favor I hardly deserve, for I have frightened you, and embrace me with your sad quelling arms?"

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist; one hand caressed small circles into his back as she did something she had never done for anyone else…

She softly sang to him. It wouldn't come as a surprise that the voice that everyone had referred to as melodic could carry a pretty tune. The words were not of English and it sounded vaguely of a lullaby. She was taking out bombs against Thor's sadness and she would not let it win. If she could rock him, she likely would be.

Tears escaped the god's eyes as he listened to her song. His voice was soft as he spoke to her. "I thank you, Colleen. You are kind and very strong, especially to comfort those that have scared you. I had meant to give you something once you had gotten better, but I believe that now would be a better time."

Colleen hesitated to pull away from Thor. She didn't want to let him go unless she was sure he was not hurting so much. She pulled back to look at him with confused eyes. She had not let go of him. One hand still gripped his shirt as if she was afraid that letting go meant he would fall apart. "You do not owe me anything, Thor." She said softly. "You have given me more than enough by just being my friend."

"I believe it would be difficult to return my gift for you." He offered with a sad smile. The god indeed felt better and he wondered if the girl had used her magic on the complete stranger that Veiri was to her. Something he would have to ask the Valkyrie if he saw her later. If she was even going to speak to him, it seemed she preferred silence. "It is in the room, actually. I did not want someone to confuse the crate for anything else." One of his large arms rose and pointed to the _massive_ munitions crate sitting next to the table. It was the sort that stored rifles but that was not what was inside of it. No, inside was what he felt to be an appropriate gift to hopefully make her feel better. She only had to look inside to discover the brightly wrapped gifts inside.

"Thor," She chastised him gently and her hand left his shirt. "I am not worthy of any gifts! You did what you had to save the world; I was a small sacrifice…"

Her words trailed off as visions of falling refilled her head. She closed her eyes hard against them and she reached back out for Thor's hands as the fear racked her again. It came and went in waves. The trembling came more fiercely as she told herself that she was safe. Her breathing came too rapidly again. She fought her way through it though and looked up at Thor with tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She whispered. "I'm not very strong, huh?"

"You are very strong; do not let anyone tell you otherwise." He said firmly to her as his hand wrapped around hers. He led her gently to the crate and pried the lid off for her. There were many _badly_ wrapped presents in there. The God had gotten her the most expensive keurig machine that money could buy and one of each flavor of coffee that he could find. Actually, two of each. The god was very thorough.

Colleen giggled as she began to unwrap the gifts, the sound was music and Thor imagined Banner would be jealous that he had not been the one to hear it for the first time since she'd become traumatized. "Thor, oh, Thor," She said as a smile grew on her face. "You're so sweet." She painfully pushed herself up on tiptoes to place a kiss on each of his cheeks. "Thank you," She wrapped him in her arms once more, she would keep giving hugs to him as long as he would accept them. "I love your gifts and I love you."

The god would know that it was not the same way that she loved Bruce, no one could ever love anyone the way Colleen loved Bruce. No one, except perhaps Veiri and Loki. She did love Thor, next to Tony, he was her best friend. She did not want to see him hurt and perhaps her spoken love for him would ease some of the pain. She could not replace Loki, but if the god would let her, she could take up some of the hole Loki had left. "You're my best friend." She whispered. There were no words ever uttered by another as sincere as the ones that came from Colleen.

Thor pulled the little mortal closer to his chest and bent down to place a kiss on her forehead. "I love you as well, little Colleen." He said softly to her. "You are one of my favorite mortals as well."

She smiled up at him and squeezed him one last time and then pulled away. She placed her hand on the god's chest, over his heart as she had done with Veiri. "Loki is here, he has not left you." She said sweetly. "He never will nor will I. I am in your heart too."

Thor placed his hand over hers, touched by the little mortal's words. He brought the small hand to his lips gently. "Thank you, Colleen." He said sincerely. "Now go get your rest. You have done too much for me already."

She nodded and almost skipped off. Thor wondered how she managed to throw her feelings out the window when someone else was hurting. Did she not have a breaking point?

…

When Bruce came back to the bedroom, Colleen was lying down. He tiptoed in and closed the door as lightly as he could in case she was sleeping. As he came closer he noticed that her shoulders were trembling violently and heavy sobs were escaping her. He rushed forward to pull her up into his arms, placing her in his lap. "You know," he said gently. "Veiri told you."

She could not speak, the sobs were too great but she nodded. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder. These sobs were not going to stop anytime soon. Bruce pulled her as close as he could and began to rock her slowly. "Shh," He whispered to her. "Baby, please calm down. I hate seeing you like this."

Colleen revealed her weaknesses only to him. These sobs seemed unstoppable. She wept for Loki. She wept for Veiri's pain. She wept for Thor. She wept for all of her pain. She wept for all of the fear she had been fighting to help heal everyone else. She wept for being weak and breaking down like this. She just let it all out in his arms.

His hold would never once loosen and he would not tire of soothing her with words. She had stitched him back together in multiple ways; she deserved the same dedication and loyalty. His hands would rub gentle circles into her back and fingers would run through her hair. They would continue this until her sobs died to hiccups and they died to soft snores. The day had taken quite an emotional toll on her and she fell into a slumber in his arms.

He gently laid her down and wrapped her blanket around her. He would let her sleep until they had landed. She needed the rest. He brushed her hair back from her face and pressed a small kiss against her cheek. "I love you." He whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

Part VIII

Colleen's terrified scream woke Bruce. It was their third week at the tower and Tony had given them each their own room but they were across the hall from each other. Bruce rubbed his eyes as he quickly exited his bed and rushed to her room.

Colleen writhed on the bed as if she had some unseen attacker. Bruce rushed to her side and took her shoulders gently in his hands. "Sweetheart, wake up." He begged as he shook her slightly. "It's all a dream, Colleen. You're safe."

Her eyes shot open and she gasped as if she had been being strangled. She launched herself into Bruce's already opened arms. "Stay with me," She begged.

His hands petted her head and back. "I will never leave you, Colleen." He whispered soothingly as he placed a kiss against her forehead. "We are a part of each other, now."

"Sleep here, in my bed." She pleaded desperately. "If you stay here, maybe the nightmares won't come." She pulled back to meet his eyes with her own. "I'll behave, I promise."

He smiled her in a mischievous way; there was never any shortage of his desire for her. "I could punish you if you don't." He whispered seductively into her ear.

Colleen shivered delightfully. "Exactly how is that supposed to discourage me from misbehaving?" She whispered back.

They had been playing this torturous song and dance on repeat for quite some time. There was hardly a moment that went by that Bruce didn't think about what had almost happened on the ship. She did not make it easy to say no to her either. She had nearly perfected her whimper. Her kisses became intoxicating, making his head spin and making it incredibly hard to be rational. His body screamed "yes, dear god, yes" while he attempted to tell her no. He didn't think he could hold out much longer. He wanted to be positive this is something she wanted.

Would she be so damn persistent if it wasn't?

She pushed herself up onto her knees on the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, as she leaned forward to capture his lips possessively with her own. He made a small sound of pleasure as his eyes slowly shut. For someone so little, she was very passionate in her physical love for him. His hands drifted over her back and lower until he reached the small, round backside. He brought his hand away from it about half a foot and smacked it lightly. She whimpered and Bruce smiled against her lips. Colleen pulled back from him. "Bruce," She whined.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I warned you." He said simply.

"If that is what awaits misbehavior," She said, allowing her voice to trail off as she began pressing kisses along his neck.

Little minx liked it! Bruce could very well be in heaven at that moment. He drew his hand back again and placed another small swat to her backside. Another whimper escaped her and he delighted in it. "You are not going to behave are you?" He growled in her ear as he placed another smack to that backside.

As if to answer his question, she began to nibble on his ear. Oh god, he would not be saying no this time. There was no way to as her lips captured his again. Her tongue pressed gently into his and met his with each turn. Dear _god_, she had a natural talent for this. He moaned softly as she pulled away. "Colleen," He whispered.

Her hands began to make quick work of ridding him of his shirt. He did not resist her this time. Instead, his hands gently pushed hers up and over her head. She was wearing that same purple bra laced with black roses. That one was definitely his favorite. He took a deep breath and gave himself a terrible case of hovering hands as he did not know what to do next. They had never gotten this far without him having refused her. "Colleen, are you sure?" He asked.

She did not answer him with words, she simply took his hands and placed them around her back to wear her bra was clasped. He took that as a yes. He gently unclasped the bra and slid it from her body, tossing it off the bed. One hand cradled the back of her head and the other was placed behind her back as he lowered her onto the bed and began to shower her body with kisses. Each kiss seemed to open a new door to her, as she wiggled and whimpered beneath him. He intended to play with her for quite some time before giving her what she wanted. Colleen was his now. They were going to play by his rules if they were going to do this at all. Hands caressed her in places that she had not been caressed before and each caress ignited a new response of pleasure. "Please, Bruce, Please," She begged him.

Her whimpering voice and incredibly seducing eyes would be his undoing as he gently rid her of her soft shorts. He looked deeply into her eyes as if searching for anything to give him a reason to stop right then. Instead, her hand came up and pulled him down to her, to kiss him deeply and passionately. "I…you…" Words were escaping him as her kisses had once again clouded his mind. "Okay, baby, okay."

He gently rid her of the last article of clothing she had left, a pair of purple silk panties to match his favorite bra of hers. She lay bare beneath him. He took a steadying breath as he took in her gorgeous body. Bruce did not deserve this angel in disguise and nothing would ever convince him that he was. Her hands shakily pushed his pants down. He caught them and brought them to his lips and then rid himself of the remaining clothing.

He moved very slowly, his hand caught her and entwined their fingers, pressing it back into the pillow. His lips came close to hers as his eyes filled with love and concern. "There will be pain, Colleen." He warned softly. "Are you certain this is still something you want?"

She nodded. "I love you." She said. "I want this more than anything else in the world."

That was all he needed to hear. His lips captured hers for a deep kiss as he attempted to distract her from the pain that was to come as he gently took her for his own. She whimpered for a moment and he stopped to make sure she was still okay. She wore a mask if she was in pain. "Bruce Banner, don't you dare stop now." She said firmly. "I will beat you senseless if you do."

He laughed and caught her lips with his again. He loved this woman. Bruce moved gently and slowly. He handled with her such care that you would have thought she was made of glass. "Are you threatening Miss Romanov?" He asked. The girl had taken Natasha's last name in order for them to get her identification and all the cards necessary for her day to day life. She was Colleen Romanov Stark. Stark simply so that Tony could put all of the credit cards that they had gotten her in his name. He played her off as her little sister. Bruce would not refer to her that way. The only last name from a man that he wanted to roll off his lips was "Mrs. Banner".

One day, one day


	9. Chapter 9

Part IX

The sound of sleigh bells was loud as Bruce woke up. Tony was standing in his doorway looking increasingly more annoyed by the second. "She's at it again." He growled. "I'm going to throw that Ipod I bought her off the top of the tower if she does not calm down."

Bruce laughed lightly and sat up. He stretched his arms. "If you do, you'll just buy her another one as soon she turns those big blue eyes on you." He said simply. "Leave her alone, Tony. She has never had a real Christmas. Let her get carried away."

"The entire tower looks like a hallmark card!" Tony exclaimed. "Jarvis woke me up singing _carols_. _Carols._ I've muted him until further notice."

Bruce glared at the man. "If you ruin this for her, I will let the other guy take over and tear your shiny ass limb from limb." He threatened darkly. "She deserves to have this. I don't care if you are Ebenezer Scrooge reincarnated; Colleen is going to have the most Christmas-y Christmas that has ever Christmas-ed."

Tony groaned and rolled his neck against his shoulders. "Fine," He said shortly. He began to say something else but was cut off by Colleen's excited squeal. "What in god's name has gotten into her now?"

Colleen answered his question in seconds, as she collided roughly with him as she attempted to enter Bruce's bedroom. Tony laughed as he caught her arms and steadied her. "Are you alright, Colleen?" He asked as he released one of her arms to brush her hair from her forehead. He placed his lips gently against her forehead and shot a sly look to Bruce that sent a sting of jealousy through his chest. Tony was not subtle with his feelings for Colleen. He was very clear about what would happen if Bruce were to slip and lose Colleen's trust, he would pick up the pieces and steal her from him with no intents to ever return her. "Why are you running, babe?"

Colleen turned her focus to Bruce then; she gently detached Tony's hands from her arms and jumped onto Bruce's bed. This is what he loved most about her, that she always came straight to him no matter what affections anyone else showed her, Bruce was the center of her universe and she was his. She fixed his hair; he assumed it looked like hell being that he was still lounging around in bed. "Get up, sleepy head!" She said kissing his cheek. "It's snowing outside!"

Bruce took both of her wrists in one of his hands, the other hand braced against her back as he flipped her beneath him on the bed, bringing his lips insanely close to her own. "Even more reason not to leave the comfort of my warm bed." He whispered nearly against her lips.

"Pardon me while I go vomit." Tony said sarcastically, but neither Colleen nor Bruce were paying him any attention any longer as he left the doorway.

Colleen raised her eyebrows and it was amazing how such a small action could have such an effect over him. "Oh yeah?" She said, leaning her head up to brush her lips against his own. "What if I deny you kisses until you've gotten out of bed?"

Bruce laughed lightly as he pinned her wrists above her head on the bed. "I do not believe you are in a place to be making threats." He said in a low, seductive tone. He leaned down to place his lips near her ear. "As if you could really resist me, love." He placed a kiss against her neck and delighted in the shudder she gave him in response.

Colleen arched her back towards him and he chuckled deeply. "You have just proved my point valid, baby." He said and then returned to his assault against her neck.

She whimpered. "Bruce, I want to go play in the snow." She whined her protest, but her hips betrayed her as they ground against his own.

"Oh yeah?" He asked as his kisses traveled down her neck, his free hand lifted her shirt up slowly. "Are you sure that's what you want to do right now?"

"Yes…no… _Bruce_." She protested halfheartedly.

Bruce released her from her shirt and weaved it around her wrists, tying them nice and tight as he turned his attention to running kisses down from her shoulder to the tops of her breasts, the rest hidden beneath a lacy purple bra. "Well, let me just finish appreciating your body and then we will go outside." He said. He smiled mischievously at her, raining kisses all over the flat stomach. He stopped at her hips and hooked his fingers in the waist band of the leggings she had been wearing. "You won't be needing these," He said as he worked them down her body and tossed them off the bed. He resumed his kissing of her. He kissed all around the edges of her panties and placed a kiss on the inside of each of her thighs. He then crawled back up her body and pressed his lips against hers. As he did so, he released her wrists and sat up. "Still want to go outside?"

The glare she gave him was irresistibly adorable. "I hate you." She hissed sitting up.

"I love you too, baby."

She began to pick up her clothes and put them on in a very frustrated manner. Bruce smiled at her, she was just too much. Everything she did was adorable. "You are mean." She said. "Just because you did that, I'm going to play in the snow with Tony and you aren't allowed to play with us."

Bruce smirked. "That means I can stay in bed, you aren't really building a good case here, love."

Colleen stomped her foot as she neared the door way, a light hit her eyes as she developed an idea and her smile was divinely evil. "I won't make blueberry muffins for Christmas." She snarled.

"Aw, come on, Colleen, don't be like that." He said but she scampered from the room.

…

"Tony," came Colleen's whine from the door to the lab.

Tony immediately put down his tools and turned to her. "What's wrong, dear?" He asked.

"Bruce was mean to me and he won't come play in the snow." She said with an irresistible puppy pout on her face.

Tony crossed the room quickly and pulled her into his arms. "Colleen, sweetheart, I would go with you, but I am way behind in work." He said gently.

Colleen groaned and pushed him away roughly. "You two are completely sapping the fun out of the season." She said grumpily. "You shouldn't work so much, Tony, you're going to give yourself stomach ulcers."

"Unfortunately, the world does not turn that way, sweetie." He said sadly. "When I'm done, I promise, I will even design you your very own snowmobile, I swear to you, Colleen, but I have work to do right now." He pushed a lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. The look on her face was quite hard to see. She seemed so put out over no one wanting to play in the snow with her. She was almost too cute to be legal. He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her to him so that he could place a kiss on her forehead. "I am sorry."

Colleen sighed heavily and grumbled something about his 'stupid job' as she left the lab, slamming the door behind her. Tony shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "Jarvis, we should put a limit on that woman's cute allowance each day."

"I do not think that is possible, sir. She is a human, not a robot. She cannot be programmed."

"Jarvis, mute."

…

Colleen pulled on her winter coat roughly and checked her purse for her license and all of her other cards. If no one would pay her any attention, she would go find someone who would and she was taking Tony's expensive, fast car too. She hurried into the kitchen and grabbed the keys from the table as Bruce walked into the room, having dressed himself finally. He gave her a confused look. "Where are you going, Colleen?"

She glared at him and turned to the door. "I am going out." She said simply.

"In Tony's car?"

"Yep."  
"Does Tony know that you are taking his car?"

"Nope."

"Colleen, he'll beat your ass if you so much as scratch it, you do realize." Bruce said gently. "It won't be the fun kind of ass beating either."

"I don't care."

"Colleen, baby, are you cross with me?" Bruce asked moving to hug her.

She opened the door and escaped his touch with a slam of the door. Bruce sighed. "I take that as a yes." He walked over to the intercom that would transmit to Tony in the lab, he pressed the button. "I just thought you should know, Colleen took your car and would not tell me where she plans on going with it. Did you say something to piss her off?"

"SHE WHAT?" Tony's voice roared back at him and Bruce flinched. "WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HER?"

"Because she looked at me like Romanov does to men right before she snaps their necks." Bruce said.

"She's like five foot nothing and weighs twenty pounds. She couldn't hurt you."

"She could deny me sex. That's pretty much the same as killing me."

"Oh my god, Banner," Tony growled. "She would have eventually given in, that is not even a valid excuse for not stopping her. This is all because of me kissing her this morning isn't it?"

"Perhaps," Bruce said nonchalantly. "What is that thing you say? Don't take my stuff?"

"Oh for _god's_ sakes, she comes right back to you without the slightest sense of hesitation every time, as if she could ever do otherwise. She's only the most irresistibly cute person in this damn place how am I not supposed to want to cuddle and kiss her?"

"I don't have a problem with you _wanting_ to do those things; I have a problem with you _doing_ them. This conversation is over, Stark. I only wanted to let you know that your car has been commandeered."

"Well, have no fear, _Banner_, I will have Jarvis track the little imp down."

…

Colleen parked the car near a park. She turned to pick up her purchase, a small fluffy golden retriever puppy that she had aptly named 'Buddy'. She hooked the new leash around the puppy's neck as the puppy gave her many a wet lick. She giggled and hugged the little dog. After all, Colleen had just wanted a friend that would play in the snow with her. All that the puppy wanted was attention and maybe some food and water. She gathered him in one arm and opened the door. She set the little puppy on the ground and began to walk; the puppy followed her and nipped at her pants. She smiled and ran a little further ahead and the puppy continued to chase her. She fell onto the ground and the puppy came to inspect her only for her to reach out and grab him. She continued this giggling and playing unbeknownst to her that two very heart melted men watched her.

"We're assholes." Bruce said to Tony simply. "All she wanted was someone to be her friend."

"God, she's so damn cute, I think I can actually feel my heart melting." Tony said. "You are completely correct. We are total assholes. I can't even be mad at her for taking the car anymore."  
"Why didn't we get her a puppy ages ago?"

"We would not have been prepared for the cutegasm that it has caused."

"We still aren't prepared."

"We are actually less prepared than before, because at least then we hadn't been complete jerks to her beforehand." Tony looked at Bruce. "What do we do now? We came here to fuss at her, and just look at her. She's almost too cute for words. Words are actually failing me."

"We cuddle her. We apologize. We tell her she can keep the puppy and then we give her the best damn holiday season from here on out without a single complaint." Bruce said firmly. "Not a single one, not about the music, or her decorations, if she requests that we go out caroling dressed as the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, then we will."

"Only if I get to be the Grinch will I agree to that."  
"But you're so pretty, Tony."

"Shut up, Banner."


	10. Chapter 10

Part X

Bruce stammered and stumbled over his words as he stood in front of Tony's desk holding a handful of emeralds and garnets. Tony flashed him his award winning smiles. "Stop beating around the bush, Bruce." He said. "If you need a favor, all you have to do is curtsy."

Bruce gaped at him. "I'm sorry, you want me to do _what_?"

"Curtsy," Tony said simply.

Bruce rolled his eyes to the ceiling, brought one leg behind the other and bent at the knee a little bit, flinging his coat behind him as he did so. Tony began to laugh hysterically, one would think that Bruce had told the absolutely funniest joke Tony had ever heard. He smacked his hand upon the table. "Always remember that I made you do that." He said seriously.

"You say that as if you actually think there is a means of forgetting." Bruce said around a smile. "I need you to help me with my engagement ring to Colleen. I had a very specific idea for it that includes the both of us, since as much as I hate to admit it; you are also a very big part of her life."

"I am glad it took you this long to realize that." Tony said simply. It did not come as a surprise to him that Bruce planned on procuring Colleen for his own; he knew this was going to happen. He set his hands together on the desk. "So, what exactly do you want me to do for you, because having me write your proposal speech is not a good idea."

Bruce placed the gems on the desk. "I want to build her a ring. I want to put the diamond in the center and then I want three of the rubies at one side and three of the emeralds on the other. Each color representing each one of us," He said. "Also, I would like you to put some kind of tracking device in the ring, so that if something were to ever happen to her, we could find her no matter what."

"You're really afraid of her taking candy from strangers aren't you?" Tony asked as he examined the various gems Bruce had spread on his desk.

"Candy, helping them locate their lost puppy or child, all the normal ploys to kidnap a woman," Bruce said. "She's so eager to help, so eager to please everyone. I feel like she could be easily swayed by a pair of pain filled eyes. There are most likely hordes of people that are out to hurt her simply because she is attached to me, you, or Natasha."

Tony nodded in agreement. "Alright, alright, I will put a tracking device in the ring and I will design it for you as well." He said. He pointed at Bruce. "Don't say I never do anything for you."

Bruce chuckled. "The list of things you do for me isn't very long." He said. "I've never said that you haven't done things for me, though, Tony."

"Stop trying to flirt with me, Banner, you'll make Colleen jealous." Tony said as he examined each gemstone. "Now get out of here, or I am going to kiss you."

"Threatening him with a good time, sir?"

"Jarvis, mute." Tony snarled at the machine. He had clearly programmed too much of his own personality into Jarvis. "Yes, fine, I will do it, vacate my lab so that I can concentrate."

….

As the holiday came closer, the tower looked more and more like a hallmark card. The woman had even somehow managed to program Dummy to spray the house with imitation snow. This all only irked Tony more and more so, but Colleen had become more and cuddlier as the season progressed and Tony could not protest a cuddly Colleen. Even when he opened his door one morning and Dummy frosted him, she ran up to him. "Oh, Tony," She said around a giggle and began to help him out of his shirt. She pressed up on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry, honey." She took his shirt and placed it in the crook of her arm. "I'll wash it right up for you."

Tony wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "Did someone ask for a white Christmas, because I'm about to make it snow in here."

"Oh God, Tony, that was awful." She snarled and threw his shirt back at him. "You're a dog."

"Oh come _on_, Squeaker, it was a joke." Tony said around a smile as she ran away, he walked back into his lab, shirtless. Only to be met a few moments by a loud banging on his door. He rolled his eyes as he opened the door. "She tattled?" He asked the seething Bruce.

"Could you stop trying to get into my girlfriend's pants for two minutes, Stark?" He snarled. "For God's sake, the woman is _taken_."

"Irrevocably taken with me, I think you mean." Tony said nonchalantly as he tossed the shirt to the side.

"Tony, you disgust her!" Bruce snarled. "There is not a single romantic bone in your body."

"She's only disgusted by me when I'm wearing clothing."

Bruce clenched his fists. "That's not even a funny joke, Stark. If you laid a finger on her in a way that was anything but platonic…" He hissed. "Ask Jarvis, you always disgust Colleen."

"He's right, sir." Jarvis's voice came over the speaker. "The girl's pheromone levels do not suggest that she wishes to engage in coitus with you."

Tony bit his lip and smacked his fist upon the desk. "Jarvis, _mute_."

Bruce's eyes went wide. "You are measuring her pheromone levels?! How?! WHY?!"

"I don't have any idea what you are talking about." Tony said spinning away from Bruce.

"ANTHONY STARK!"

"NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO CALL ME THAT!"

"Doctor Banner, he is also tracking her ovulations." Jarvis spoke again.

Bruce looked as if he was very much considering throwing Tony through the glass door. "WHAT?! HOW?! That is _it_. She is staying in _my _room from now on." He growled.

Tony raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, Hey, Hey! I did that for _you_!" He said. "He was my honeymoon present, in case you did or _didn't_ want to knock her up."

If Bruce looked as if he did not believe Tony, Jarvis confirmed his suspicions. "Those were not his intentions, Doctor Banner. He has these saved under the 'Tony Junior' files."

"Jarvis, I believe I told you to _MUTE_."

"For me, huh?!" Bruce demanded circling around the desk as Tony backed away from him quickly. "Exactly when did you plan on telling me that you were going to spill your disgusting genetics into _my_ girlfriend's womb? My soon to be fiancée's womb, for that matter."

"Let's be serious here, you don't know that she's going to say yes." Tony said, hands still up in a surrender motion. "And excuse me, but our love child would be _flawless_."

"You are correct there, because this _love child_ you speak of will never exist, nothing cannot bear a flaw." Bruce hissed, he pressed his fists against his face attempting to calm himself.

"She already bares my last name!"

"SO THAT WE COULD PUT HER ON A JOINT BANK ACCOUNT!"

"In some countries, we're legally married and she owes me three children. And a camel."

"GOD DAMN IT, STARK." Bruce yelled. "I am leaving this room, if I don't I'm going to hit you." He stomped away from Tony. "If you don't back off Colleen, I will move her and I both out of this tower. I swear to god, Tony. I will take her as far away from you as I can."

Tony's jaw dropped and he felt a sob get stuck in his throat. He did not want to be without Colleen. He did not want to be without Bruce either. Bruce was his best friend. And Colleen…and Colleen was his…. Never mind what Colleen was to him, but she was a damn important piece of his life. "I don't want that, I'll back off, Banner." He said sincerely. "I promise, just don't leave here."

"Why is it so important to you that we stay?" Bruce asked from the doorway. "You clearly don't truly care about her if you try to repeatedly crush her feelings for being in love with me. You wouldn't even be a good husband, Tony. You can't love anyone more than you love yourself. Colleen constantly fights for your attention with your own mirror. You are much too blinded by love of yourself to see that." Bruce closed the door and called for Colleen.

"Jarvis, feed me the audio from Colleen's bedroom."

"I don't think that's a good idea, sir."

"I don't care what you do and do not think is a good idea you blasted machine, just do it."

"As you wish, Mister Stark."

The sound that crackled through to him was enough to shatter what little heart Tony had left. Colleen's soft sobs echoed through to him. He really didn't realize how much he hurt her. "He's supposed to be my best friend…. But I'm certain he loves himself far more than he could ever love me." She whimpered, likely to Bruce or her dog.

He brushed his fingers against the speaker. "Oh, Squeaker," He breathed, hating himself greatly. He needed alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.


	11. Chapter 11

_**(Lady Anaia Lionel and I co-wrote this. So I cannot be fully to blame for the destruction of your feels**_

_**Okay. A lot of this was me. I was depressed during the majority of the time that this was written and so was she. I promise more fuzzies to make up for this feel destroying chapter.)**_

The night before Christmas, Bruce decided to go and get all the food for the next day's feast, he gave Colleen a kiss, patted the top of Buddy's head and promised to be back soon. Tony had been in his lab all day, he hoped that she wouldn't be lonely while he was gone.

Shortly after he left though, Jarvis came over the intercom. "Miss Romanov-Stark, Tony is requesting your assistance in the lab."

Colleen sat up and gently pushed Buddy off her lap. What on earth did Tony want from her? He'd been basically ignoring her existence for the past few days. She smoothed down her red dress that Tony had gotten her for her birthday and walked down to the lab.

Before Jarvis had even called for Colleen, this particular conversation had been going about:  
"You do recall, Sir, that Doctor Banner plans to propose to Colleen tomorrow, correct?"

"Of course I do, Jarvis! Don't try to turn a perfectly innocent pre-celebration of her engagement into something horrible!"

"Sir, if I am correct, having a ribb-"

"Jarvis, just call for Colleen."

So, the program did as he was told. Meanwhile, he finished up the touches of the lab, darkened the lights, and requested the song list 'Love God Stark Playlist One' to be running on a very low volume within the room. When the door opened, he remained in his chair, adjusting the big honking red bow on his chest that was artfully cut so his chest piece could show through it with the light. A quick study showed the ceiling was just carpeted with mistletoe both fake and real.

Aside from this large red bow, the man was bare-ass nude. One leg lifted in such a way to cross over the other leg and cover far more interesting areas of the body before spinning his chair around slowly. A dashing and confident smile on his face stretched to show glimmering white teeth, "Colleen! I have been expecting you; after all, I haven't given you your stocking stuffer yet!"

Colleen's face could not have been described with words as Stark turned to face her. It was a mix between horror, disgust, confusion and amusement. She backed herself into the door. "Tony, why are you naked?" She asked in her small, songlike voice. She observed the ceiling which was carpeted with mistletoe and she looked back at the naked man in front of her with a pained sort of smile on her face. "Tony, sweetheart... what are you doing? What... What is this?"

It was then that he stood up, a little bit of concern just to ease her fears. Of course in standing, he revealed a red and gold striped ribbon tied around a very particular piece of equipment. The most important piece of equipment really, it even came complete with a 'To Colleen' gift tag shaped like a dog. Eyes glittered in the candle light as he sauntered up to her, looking her over as it seemed they matched. Reds and golds. Perfect! "I am giving you your Christmas Gift! It's me! Afraid I don't fit under the tree though. Plus those little pine needles really crawl up your butt. Much worse than sand, believe me, I know all there is to know about sand in uncomfortable places."

Soon he was closing the distance between them, though he stopped a few feet away, posing as the most horrible version of a Chippendales ever with hands behind his head and hips thrust out just a bit, "What do you think? I figured you would like it if I went a little bit festive." Yes, he really enjoyed the sound of his own voice as he babbled on about colors, festivity, and the fact that he was her Christmas gift. Wearing only a pair of ribbons. The red and gold of course had to be a small ribbon, didn't want to distract from the fantastic centerpiece after all.

Colleen watched him wearily, pushing herself against the door. "Tony, I don't think I can accept your present." She said quietly. "I don't believe Bruce would allow me to and I couldn't return such a momentous gift to you." She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Ah, the low self-confidence returned as she bashfully looked down at her hands. "It's mostly the fact that Bruce would not be okay with you even looking at me in this state of... undress."

Dammit, she was playing cute again. Well she was _always_ playing cute. The shy little mouse tucking her head down and away as though she was undeserving. Again he would start to walk towards her, hands reaching out to take hers, "Shh, Bruce isn't here now. If that is all you are worried about, then you don't have to tell him, Squeaker. Isn't Christmas about giving? You don't have to give me anything back except perhaps for at least one kiss. Didn't put up all that mistletoe for pretties you know." One hand went to lift her chin to look up at him, "You've known me for a while now, and I am not scary like the Grinch you know. I don't steal Christmas and it sure isn't my heart that keeps getting bigger."

Colleen's eyes dropped from him; widened at the sight she saw there and rolled back up to his face. "Tony," She said firmly. "You know there are no secrets between Bruce and I. He would kill you if he knew that you were doing this right now..." Not that she wasn't attracted to the man. She was definitely attracted to him but Colleen's feelings went beyond just mere physical attraction. Bruce loved her; Tony did not love her... did he? He just wanted her physically. "Though, I will have this bow." With quick actions that would surprise him, she pulled the large bow from around his chest.

Her leg would sneak behind his, applying just enough pressure to knock the man on his ass. She pounced on him then, taking both his arms and quickly tying them together above his head with his own bow. "How's it feel to have your naughty plan backfired, Mister Stark?" She whispered, as tiny fingers would graze him where the other bow was tied, just enough to detach the bow that he had there. She pushed against his chest; if Tony wanted to he could easily overtake her though. She was seeing what his intentions really were. If he loved her, he would let her come to him... if he loved her, now was the time to say it.

A surprised laugh left his lips as he was suddenly knocked right down and pinned. It was very well difficult not to be suddenly aroused by these actions. A sort of smile came to him; it was _impossible_ not to react to her little touches before the ribbon was released. Still, it looked as though she wanted something. Anything perhaps as she always seemed the one to instigate a little test, "You've untied your gift Colleen. I would say look at the card, but I am pretty sure it fell off somewhere during this whole tackle me down and tie me up ordeal." Dark eyes glittered in a sort of light as he finally added, "So I will have to recite it from memory…"

Sometimes he could be a real dick, mostly because he followed his rather than his brain. Other times, in great inspiration, he was perfectly capable of something sincere, "Dear Colleen, I know you love Bruce. He loves you too. Some people don't get it, but I do. Personally, you two work out well for each other. Guess I never thought about it much before, just sort of chalked it up to hormones, but I feel like I have more feelings for you than just run of the mill lust. I think I love you, Colleen."

Colleen's eyes filled with tears as she listened to his words, she bit her lip hard and pushed herself off his chest and straddling his chest, placed her weight on her knees. Her butt just hovering over his manhood, the man would be able to sit up if he so felt. She looked to the side, hoping in the darkness he could not see the tears that would slowly work their way down her cheek. She brought a finger to her mouth to stifle a sob. Why did this have to happen? When she spoke, it would be obvious that she was crying as her voice broke. "I love you too, Tony." She whispered as her eyes fell to his chest piece as she lightly traced it with her finger, something she'd always wanted to do but dare not in Bruce's sight. "But, I love him more..."

It _killed _her to hurt someone else and she kept her eyes on Tony's chest piece because she dare not look him in the eye, looking him in the eye meant admitting she was crying. "I... can... give you something though..."

That voice made him start regretting this idea, or rather, he was regretting his _methods_. There were tears coming from the woman, ones that he very well caused. Yet his always- endangered heart was swelling at her soft confession. That he too, was loved, just not more than Banner. A smile formed to hide that hurt. Pride still ran through red veins. "I suppose I can accept that. At least I know how you feel about me right? It will have to be my most cherished gift."

Colleen smiled weakly down at Tony. "I can give you something else..." She said quietly, "I mean, you did go through all this effort," She pushed tears from her face and leaned back down, hands sliding up his still restrained arms, pinning them to the ground, letting him know his place at that very moment. Her face came very close to his. "I do love you, Tony." She whispered, her breath would tickle his lips. "Very much so, and odds are, had I met you before Bruce, I would be yours. To have and to hold, til death do us part. If that is what you wanted. Fate threw me to Bruce first and I fell hard fast and so did he." She placed her lips against his now, not kissing, just there, so he could feel every movement when she spoke. "I don't think a kiss could hurt though. You have been_ such _a good boy this year."

Lips parted slightly to say something as arms were pinned down by small hands. That sweet sweet warmth against his lips and _dammit_ she was making it very difficult not to take advantage of the fact that she was wearing a skirt. One simple move and he could easily make it more than a kiss, "Yea, I do my best to be a good boy. After all, you kept telling me if I wasn't good then I wouldn't get a gift." His lips moved against hers as he spoke. Slightly muffled and sounding a tad bit silly all things considered. Gods he hoped Banner stayed out shopping for a while longer.

She raised an eyebrow at him, as if she was reading his mind. She pushed down on his arms a little harder, nails gently biting his skin. "You will continue to behave then," She said firmly. She was likely torturing the man with the thoughts of what she was like in the bedroom. She moved her lips against his, still not kissing, just barely brushing them with her own. "What is it you want for Christmas, baby? Beg me for it." A positively evil grin formed on her face.

How could she promise such things with her eyes yet words told him the complete opposite? Torture of things he could not possibly ever have because she claimed to love _him_ more. Those warm sweet honeyed lips against his without kissing. Asking him to beg, to plead, to breath and tell her exactly what he wanted, "Colleen this could turn into something further if you continue to, ah, make this _difficult _for me. Some of my body parts have claimed to have minds of their own and right now I think Little Stark is trying to see if you are wearing any panties under that skirt. Well at least trying to figure out what color they are." A dry chuckle before adding, "But for all that is holy, please kiss me. Right now, before my body tries getting any ideas that make you hate me."

Colleen's hands released his arms from their bonds. "I trust you to behave, Mister Stark." She breathed against his lips; one of her hands would brush fingertips against his cheek as she closed the distance between them, capturing her lips with his own. She wasted no time in deepening the kiss as her tongue would twist against his own. It would seem she had no intentions on stopping anytime soon either. His arms were free to roam her body until she scolded him.

He would find the answer to his earlier question, that yes, indeed, she was wearing something beneath the dress, but not a whole lot of something, and a thong is what lie beneath the dress, so his hands were met with bare skin. She laughed against his lips and pulled away momentarily. "Are you planning on punishing me, Mister Stark?" She asked.

Brow rose as he gave a breathless smile, "Punish you? What would I ever punish you for? You just _kissed _me, Colleen. Unless of course I should be punishing you for wearing something at all under this dress." Another breathless laugh as eyes nearly begged for her to kiss him again. More than kiss him, gods he wanted far more than that.

She giggled. "I didn't realize that there were specific rules for this dress when you gave it to me." She whispered, oh she felt so damn guilty. And she hoped Bruce wouldn't kill her when he found out, but Tony had wanted this for so long and it's not like he helped when he stood in front of her completely nude proclaiming his love. She captured his lips again, gently biting his bottom lip as she pulled away. "You taste heavily of Jack Daniels, Tony," She said suspiciously.

A sort of slow blink as he tilted his head to the side, "Oh that? Only a little bit of it, just enough to ease the nerves. I've never given anyone a real gift before." Something told him that drinking anything at all had been a bad idea. Shit shit shit where did he hide the bottle anyway? Shit was it beside the candles. "You know how strong that stuff is, just one tiny sip and your breath smells like that for days."

Colleen looked at him, apparent and strong hurt touching her eyes as she moved from him then, standing up to look around the room. An empty bottle of the exact alcohol stood on his desk. "You're drunk..." She said softly, tears would quickly gather in her eyes. "You didn't mean _any_ of that... you don't love me..."

Eyes widened suddenly as she stood, "C-Colleen! Wait! Just because I have had a little bit to drink doesn't mean I was lying to you!" The naked man scrambled up onto his feet. It was easier when the alcohol lightened the pain in his chest. Even with the glowing chest piece, it still was sore at times. "I haven't tripped or stumbled at all since you got in here. I am never lying to you, dammit Colleen I have loved you since I have seen you. Yet he saw you first. Do you know how long I have waited to tell you without having him rip my eyeballs out for looking at you the wrong way?"

She sniffled, her bottom lip poked out ever so cutely as she took slow and careful steps back to him. Hands reached up to take his face in her hands, making him look down into her eyes. The pupils did not show signs of drunkenness. "And if... if he hadn't?" She pressed up on her toes to start making his response very difficult as she began to cover his neck in kisses and gentle bites.

"Then... then..." Dammit she was distracting him, a pleasured groan escaped his lips before hands gently moved to trace lines onto her back, "If he had not... then I would bring you flowers every single day. Buy you a thousand puppies every time you felt blue. I would... I would dress up as Santa Clause on Christmas and after the most romantic dinner I would ask you to marry me. Hell I wouldn't even wait for dinner. I'd want you to marry me now if I could ask it of you." It was so hard to concentrate; those kisses and bites made him wish to take her right then and there.

She began to run kisses along his collarbone as she switched sides. "You aren't proposing to me are you, Mister Stark?" She asked, blowing air against his skin before continuing her assault on the other side of his neck, biting and soothing the bites with a kiss. "I thought you didn't love anyone more than yourself?"

Kisses made speaking damn near impossible, yet he managed... mostly, "Hey, that isn't true. I am capable of loving people, but more often than not, they don't give me a reason to continue doing so if I've lost trust in them." Hands came up to settle on her shoulders and gently separate her lips from him. As torturous as it was, he still wished to speak, "You are someone I do love though, far more than myself, Colleen. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. That I don't wish you were mine instead."

Colleen brought those blue eyes to his, tears began to gather there. She groaned loudly. "Why can't I just marry you both?" She whimpered, running her fingers along the outside of his chest piece again. "I love you, Tony. I do. I truly do. You know I do." She said, wrapping her arms around his waist so that she could hide her face against his chest as the tears began to spill over as she began to hate herself. "I.. I just loved Bruce first..."  


A thought was toyed with in his head, one that could get him into trouble or reap him glorious glorious rewards. Hand rose up to brush away some tears as he whispered softly, "Many people love others... sometimes they don't always stay with the person they love first but instead the person they love most. I really would like me to be the one you love most, Colleen." A sort of smile formed on his features to try and cheer her up, "But hey, if I am not, I can at least have your kisses for Christmas, right? It can be the one gift this year that I will treasure most. I could possibly be happy having that much from you. Just for tonight before Bruce even gets home. After all, I am dressed for the occasion." An eyebrow waggle was added on.

"Sir, Doctor Ba-"

"Jarvis, not right now, we are having a moment."

"But Si-"

"Jarvis. I hate to do this for the millionth time this year, but MUTE. Now then, I know who is getting coal in their stocking this year. Where were we?"

Colleen smiled in a pained way at him. "Tony, Bruce literally _needs_ me you realize?" She said, her voice cracking. "I have to love him more than I love you. He relies on me. He and I, we're connected on a level so deep that no one can touch it. It's impenetrable..." She sighed heavily. "I love you, but I love him more..." Her voice broke as a sob caught in her throat. "I have to... I have to..." She brought teary eyes to his. "Do you still want to kiss me? Even knowing that?"

Bruce unlocked the door to the house as he unloaded the car. "Colleen?" He called. Buddy came up to him but Colleen was not following him. He shrugged his shoulders. She was likely in bed. He would have to go and get her, to switch her to his bed. He no longer trusted her bedroom after hearing all the things that Tony was tracking on Colleen. He had a large amount of groceries to unload first though.

A twinge to his lips, "Yes, Colleen, I do. Even though he _needs_ you, I more than need you. I want you. I also know that you need me too. Someone who can take care of you and isn't too worried if you say hello to someone." He offered trying to scramble for the right words for her. Trying not to screw this up as he swore the alcohol was wearing off of him, "I will work less, spend time with you more and the dog. I will decorate the house for every single holiday that exists. Make Dummy play a playlist of all of your favorite songs."

"Bruce is only that way with you because you come on so strong, Tony." She said gently, running her fingers over his chest, up his neck to entangle in his hair. "You have never hesitated once to deny me, to choose your job over time that could have been spent with me." She sighed, she was so conflicted. "Why... you never answered my question, Mister Stark... are you proposing to me? Don't those usually come with a ring? A bended knee? "

Bruce hauled the last of the groceries into the tower and set to putting them away. The tower was oddly quiet. He would have to go and see if Tony had fallen asleep in his lab again then.

Ring. Ring. Ring. OH A RING! Eyes lit up in an idea, and while he was STILL AS NAKED AS A MONKEY he looked down to her and placed a kiss onto her nose, "Wait right here, Colleen. Just wait right here! I've got something for you!" He worked himself out of her grasp and RAN towards one of his work tables, moving around piles of papers to find a particular black box he was keeping the ring he was designing. At last, he had found it, eyes lit up as he rushed back over to her. In his excitement, he nearly ran her over trying to find the proper way to kneel down.

Throat was cleared as he held the ring up to her, "Colleen, I am horrible at this and have never done this. But since my last name is in yours anyway, would you perhaps like to be a _missus _Stark?"

Hands came up to her mouth as she didn't think he was serious this entire time. "Tony I..." She breathed; hands trembled as she took the box from him and inspected the ring with teary eyes. "Tony... I don't know..."

Fortunately... or maybe not so fortunately, she was not made to answer right away because the lab door was opened and Bruce's voice, threatening to raise itself came from the door. "What. In the unholy _fuck _is going on in here? Why are you naked with _my_ girlfriend, Tony? And... Is that... MY RING? YOU PROPOSED TO HER? WITH THE RING I ASKED YOU TO MAKE?"

Bruce grabbed a hold of Colleen's shoulder, pushing her behind him a little too roughly it seemed as she let out a small squeal of pain but he was beyond hearing her. "WHAT THE HELL, TONY?"

Maybe he shouldn't have muted Jarvis; it probably would have saved him the millions of broken bone fragments that would be in his body right at that moment. Ring fell from his fingers as he immediately stood up and backed away, "I was just um... ah.. rehearsing for you! I work naked sometimes you know and I ah, was working on the ring and she walked in on me and and and and I was... um... teaching her how to be surprised! Yea, because you would be awfully disappointed if she wasn't surprised already!"

"Sir... you were trying to ask her to marry you and you were wearing bows to make yourself a gift."

"JARVIS DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO UNMUTE?!"

"YOU WERE PROPOSING TO HER?! WITH MY RING?" Bruce's muscles began to bulge and were taking on tints of green as he fought to control his emotions. "And what exactly were you doing here, naked? Did you touch her?" He turned on Colleen then, grabbing both of her shoulders, squeezing hard than he meant to as he shook her. "Did he touch you?"

Colleen whimpered and pushed at Bruce's hands. "Bruce, you _need_ to calm down." She said gently. "I... kissed him... It was his Christmas gift... he said that was all he wanted. This was not only his actions."

Damn girl, always told the truth. Even if it would likely lead to a broken spine. Bruce's face fell. "You _what_? Colleen... why?" He asked, muscles continuing to bulge and fluctuate between a green shade and their normal tanned. He shook her again. "What were you thinking? Do you think he _loves _you? Do you believe anything he says to you? He's a drunk. A liar. He just wants to fuck you and leave you!"

"You're hurting me. Let me _go_." She whimpered. "I'm a big girl; I can make decisions for myself. Let me go."

Bruce gripped the tops of her arms harder. "No you can't. This was a stupid, thoughtless decision that only ends with you getting hurt!"

Colleen's eyes filled with tears of physical pain. Her arms would likely bruise if he did not snap them like twigs. "You're scaring me, let me go, Bruce, let me go." She turned frightened eyes to Tony. "Make him let me go! Tony..."

The way her voice pitched made the gears in his head turn for an entirely different mindset, "Hey now, Banner, let her go. It isn't any of her faults at all that I did this. Your fight is with me." He would stride forward, suddenly forgetting his current state of undress. Hand reached out to dare and grab one of Bruce's arms and try to tug it off of Colleen. "Colleen, you probably should go take Buddy for a walk. I bet he wants some fresh air. Banner and I are going to talk this over like civilized gentleman. Aren't we Bruce?"

Colleen recoiled from Bruce in a way that hurt him far more than any words could. "Just.. Don't get any blood on the carpet." She whimpered, making her joke sound like a real concern. She hurried from the lab.

Bruce immediately turned on Tony. "What have you done? What were you thinking?!" He snarled. "I could literally kill you, Stark. I am imagining every way I could tear you apart. You've ruined everything! What did you think would become of this?" He pushed the man's hand from his arm. "You do realize that 'wife' is defined by the woman you spend the _rest of your life with_? Not a temporary lover you lay down and trash the first available moment." He backed away from Tony, placing both fists against hand. "I have watched as you never _once_ hesitated to leave her standing in corners watching you choose something, _anything _over her again! Your job, your suits, your _ridiculous _expos." He was breathing deeply, attempting to regain control of his emotions. "If you thought for one _fucking_ second that I didn't know she had feelings for you, then you were sadly mistaken! She can call your _every_ move before you make it. She sees nothing but the best in you but you have done NOTHING but repeatedly let her down! Again. And again. And again. AND AGAIN. She has too much faith in you and you were PREYING UPON THAT." There were tears in Bruce's eyes, this was obviously things that he had been keeping pent up.

Hand left his friend as he turned away for a moment and walked to one of his many work desks and started yanking on the clothes he had folded there, "Neither of us are perfect, Bruce. You just about broke that woman with your bare hands. Yea I have problems, but I am willing to change for her. For once this year, I decided that hey, instead of blowing off this entire holiday, I would do something for _**her**_." Pants were yanked on first before he finally pulled on a red shirt with something about a Christmas AC DC album on it. Turning towards the raging scientist he slipped on his 'bracelets'.

"Do you know why I was blowing her off? Because I thought that just maybe if I did it enough, I could forget about her. I wouldn't have to sneak behind your back while you had her all to yourself. It hurt me to be around her because she is yours. Now I am pretty damn sure that I am the better choice. At least I won't near throw her out of a window if I get mad."

"Colleen is never endangered around me. She is my music box. The only thing that can calm me." Bruce snarled. "She needed to be shaken! She has to know that to choose you is the dumbest decision she would make in her life! Who's to say you would even stay? The great manwhore Tony Stark settling down?" His skin was taking a more permanent green tint as the muscles continued to fluctuate. He was fighting a losing battle as the muscles expanded and engorged. No. No. No. Stop. He was pleading with his own mind but the other guy took over quickly. He could no longer see anything but blind rage.

Colleen opened the door. "Bruce, baby, please, you'll kill him!" She begged, ignoring Tony's shout of protest to her. She would place her small hand on his enlarged arm. "Sweetheart, it's okay. It's okay." She cooed to him.

A small hand would touch him, but his only reaction would be to lash out at it, throwing Colleen into the nearest table. He heard a scream of pain but he was beyond recognizing it as he went after Tony now. His mind only spoke one word: "Kill"

There was no arguing with him now, that look he was given was one that could kill. It was aimed right at him too which made matters all the worse. Attention left the not-so-jolly green giant as he dashed over to Colleen's side. Some limbs were not bent in any way they ought to have been. It was as though she was a crumbled flower with glass stuck into flesh.

Arms scooped her up only to hear a snarling sound. Eyes widened and he started swearing under his breath as the dog was snarling and baring teeth at the large green man. One sniff of the air to smell Colleen's blood and he started to prepare himself for leaping onto the Hulk.

With the partly-broken form of Colleen slung over his shoulder he ran forward as fast as possible on bare feet, snatching the collar as he skidded right out of the room and started yelling, "JARVIS! LOCK DOWN THE DOORS AND LOCK DOWN THE HALL AS SOON AS I GET OUT OF IT! WE NEED TO SLOW GREEN BEAN DOWN!"

Colleen was somehow managing to hang onto her consciousness enough to sob in the most heartbreaking way possible, crying Tony's name repeatedly. In almost as much pain as Loki had caused her once. Just Tony's name, a plea for him to make the pain stop. And then she would say something that could have the ability to break any man. "I'm... s-s-sorry, Tony." As if this were her fault.

"Hey, hey now none of that I'm sorry stuff. It isn't your fault I did something stupid. Alright? I should be the one with the broken bones." Buddy was able to be let go, the dog running ahead easily of Tony and Colleen. The end of the hall was dropping down a thick metal wall. A firewall to prevent lab accidents from spreading to the rest of the building if a fire was started. He heard the wall break through and he panicked, kicking it into high gear and just skidding past as the door dropped down completely. A heaving breath as he looked down to her, "We need to get you to a doctor. Probably best we find one of Shield's so there aren't a million questions asked. They'll have something for you."

Bruce...or should I say, Hulk slammed his fists into the wall for his prey was getting away. It would take four punches before he would get through, the time it took would begin to sober him as Bruce fought to regain control of his mind. There was a scream. "Colleen! Think of Colleen." He commanded himself.

"Tony," She whimpered. "You won't leave me will you?" She coughed painfully. There was definitely a cracked rib if not a few. "We.. We should wait... Bruce.. He'll tear the place down..." She took a ragged breath that would likely scare the living hell out of Tony. "He can't do it on his own... he needs me..."

Bruce slammed himself into the metal wall, knocking himself backwards. "Alright asshole, seriously, CALM DOWN." He commanded himself. "Colleen is hurt. STOP. You need to RELAX, FOR GOD'S SAKE."

Tony shook his head vigorously, shifting his hold of her bridal style, "I promise not to leave you. I don't care if the place gets torn down. You need medical attention now. I won't lose you just because Banner had a fit."

Head cranes back to the metal wall being dented and the loud echoing sounds ringing through the stairwell as he went down it, "Jarvis, contact Agent Romanov and Nick Fury. Tell them we need someone to pick us up right away and tell them only that it is for Colleen. Details can be explained later."

"It's my own damn fault." Colleen said with another ragged breath. "Calling my mom was a bad idea... she's going to beat your ass.." She coughed violently. She leaned her head against his shoulder as she let out a whimper that even sounded painful. "Tony, it hurts..."

Bruce slammed himself into the metal wall again. Maybe if he could hit himself hard enough he would calm the hell down. He gained enough control of himself that he could speak. "Colleen!" He called, the voice booming, scary. "COLLEEN"

"Well then she can beat me, but at least you would be alive. She would kill me if I didn't call her. Now shhh, you need to relax now. We are going to take you to see the blonde healing lady that likes to flirt with me and then show me that she can also throw me across the ship." A forced smile as he tried to ignore the yelling that became quieter the further down the stairs he got.

"Sir, they are sending someone shortly to pick you and Miss Colleen up. Agent Romanov sounded particularly upset. I believe she may harm you if Fury does not restrain her."

"Not surprised Jarvis. Thanks for calling them. Make sure Big Green Jelly Bean stays put. I don't want him wrecking any cars that try picking us up."

Colleen gripped his arm tightly. "Bruce.. He's calling for me..." She whimpered. "I ca..can't just leave him..." Tears began escaping her eyes again, a combination of the physical pain and the emotional conflict. "Tony... what about Bruce... I.." It became too much to talk and sob at once, and her body decided that sobbing was more important as it gave way to heavy, painful sounding cries.

One more hit and his muscles began to shrink, his skin began to return to its tan color. He laid on the floor breathing heavily as he attempted to calm down. God, what had he done? He hit Colleen. He _hit _her.

Tony shook his head as she cried, a pained expression crossing his features. He didn't give a dam if it broke his arm, he was going to punch Banner for harming this woman. A woman he very damn well loves and wanted safe. "I am sure he has made it this far, no doubt he will be alright. You need help and Veiri is going to give it, okay? Please don't cry, you shouldn't have to be in tears." His lips were pulled into a thin line as he held her close as possible without trying to hurt her. Hell breathing near her was likely harming her.

If Romanov didn't kill him, he likely was going to make sure Banner knew how much he hurt this woman. Eyes looked down to Buddy and he gave a tired smile, "Looks like you have to watch the tower for me. I know how you hate ships. Dummy might be a bit slow, but he can play fetch with you." The dog whined in protest and he couldn't reach down to comfort the pup, "I promise she will be in good hands. The Valkyrie is one of the best medics I know."

Romanov would all but breakdown the door. "WHERE IS MY BABY?!" She shouted as she stomped into the house. Her eyes lay on Colleen, bloodied and broken in Tony's arm and she let out a gasp. "Banner did this?" She snarled. "I will fucking _kill _him." She placed a hand on Colleen's head, stroking her softly, she did not want to take the risk of transferring her from Tony's arms to her own. "Shh, baby, it's going to be okay. Do you remember Veiri? She'll make all the pain go away." She eyed up the shards of glass in Colleen's arms and legs and bit her lip. They would have to be removed before Veiri could heal her. And Colleen did not trust anyone to get near her with anything pointy.

She looked up at Tony. "We should remove those." She whispered. "She's not even going to let Veiri near her with tweezers. She can't heal her while they are still in the skin." She saw the horrified look on Stark's face. "It's not going to be fun for me either, but she trusts us to get near her with pointy objects. Go lay her down on that table."

Once Natasha had returned to the room, it was obvious that something else was very wrong with Colleen as blood began soaking the table beneath her. Natasha rushed to her side and began to manhandle the girl, attempting to locate a deep wound. "Was there a wound you did not tell me of?" She demanded at Tony but Tony's answer would be cut off by a sharp, shrill cry from Colleen. She turned her eyes to Colleen. "Where does it hurt, sweetheart?"

Colleen's eyes overflowed with tears as she realized what was happening to her. Something…someone she had forgotten in the heat of the moment. She went well past consolation in a matter of seconds. "The baby…" She whimpered. "The baby… the _baby!" _

Tony was about to retort Natasha's words, but then the shrill scream hit his ears and it took seconds before he realized what she was saying. Gods she was... she was pregnant. Guilt and panic rushed through him all at once. Hands habitually ran over his bracelets and he looked up to the ruby haired woman, "There is no time to remove this glass. I am taking her to Veiri!" He would rush, stealing a throw blanket from the nearest couch before wrapping it around Colleen in a hurry. Eyes stared down to her as voice shook and trembled.

"Shh hold on, we are going to take you to your Angel. Okay, just hold on. Everything will be fine..." He wasn't sure it would be, but he hoped those words of hope would assure her of such. Part of him wanted to be right, to believe in the fanciful wishes that the healer was a heal-all sort of woman. Without another word, he scooped up the bundled woman and ran right out for the door, shouting something near incomprehensible as glass could be heard shattering floors above from its place and coming down to wrap around him. Habitual shifting of the arms to make sure the armor placement did not pinch the bleeding woman before he immediately took off. "Jarvis, tell Fury to get Veiri ready! Colleen is coming in on a First Class flight!"

Colleen was too far lost in pain and hatred of herself to respond as she usually would to being flown by Tony. How could she have forgotten the baby? It was her Christmas surprise. She was almost three months along. Three months for her to fall in love with the little life she was producing and now she was losing him… she always imagined him as a boy when she rubbed her tummy at night. Her arms wound around the metal neck of Tony's suit and she begun to sob uncontrollably. He was gone. The baby was _gone_. Her baby… her baby was dying… and it was her fault.

Tony nearly went full throttle to get to the flying ship as fast as possible. The sobs echoed into his helmet, he could hear Jarvis telling him the life signs. Telling him the status of the broken woman. Broken bones, glass, and now a shattering heart all because he couldn't damn well keep his thoughts to himself. Had to break because he was falling for her, and now look what happened.

Landing had been a little rough as he was rushing, feet hardly touched the ground before he was running forward. Hovering uneven steps became heavy metallic ones that would jar the body. Already in his view finder he could see the blonde woman running up to him wearing black scrubs under a white coat. Apparently she had been getting ready as soon as the first call had come in. "Veiri, is there anything you can do at all? She... she..." His breathlessness in the panic was making speech difficult. Head still trying to wrap around the idea that there was... had been a child.

Veiri did not need any words though, she knew something was wrong as soon as she reached them and took the sobbing woman into her arms. Alarm went through her features, "Odin help me... Tony, you are coming with me, I am going to need help with this. Take your armor off." It was a demand as she went running back inside, shouting orders to one of the people that had been assigned to be her assistant. Blonde hair bound back was flying up in the rush. The pain the poor mortal woman was feeling slammed into the Valkyrie hard. There was not just the pain of the woman, but another smaller partially formed soul shattering as blood was seeping out of her system. Colleen was having a miscarriage.

Colleen let out another cry of pain. She looked up at Veiri with begging eyes. "Please, please save the baby," She whimpered, even though she knew the baby was gone. The baby was actively dying and nothing could be done. Colleen had cried herself sick and was choking on her own tears, coughing in between sobs. "You're my angel," She whimpered her plea. "You're my angel… Veiri, please, I'll never forget about anything again. I'll go to church. I'll pray every night. I won't curse. I'll stop having sex until I'm married. I'll fast. I'll go on a prayer journey and crawl on my knees across glass. Just please, save the baby….please, I didn't mean for this to happen… I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Her voice broke into sobs again. "I'm so sorry."

A pained look crossed Veiri's features as she ran through the halls that cleared paths were made so she could rush the poor girl onto the nearest operating table. Tony followed behind her in a similar rush, armor coming off of him as he stared in a panic. Pain crossed his features out of guilt and he sobbing sounds Colleen made. As they reached the room, he looked up to Veiri, "What do you need me to do?"

"Hold her down..." Veiri ordered quietly before looking down to Colleen, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. Hand smoothed over the dark hair as she whispered softly, "I am so sorry, dear. I am so very very sorry. I cannot save the baby. It is too far gone, the soul never completely formed. I cannot do anything to save them. Please forgive my inability." She would rise and hand Tony a pair of large tweezers, "Get the glass out... I must take care of the rest." Voice broke, her hands went to get the tools needed for the most painful job she ever had to do.

It simply hurt more that she was thought of as an angel. One that could save and bless all. There was not a thing she could do except help remove the partially formed being. Something far more honorary would have to be done because she knew it never should have happened. That thought clung to her as she worked, tears fought to keep them out of her view. This needed to be done quickly. It was going to hurt Colleen, there was just so much pain in that young mortal woman that it became overwhelming. A driving source for her to make the woman healed as soon as possible, but there was a limit to her abilities.

Colleen would jump as soon as Veiri made attempts to clear her body of what could essentially become infectious, it hurt emotionally and physically and she was not yet ready to let go of the fact that just an hour ago she was a mother to be. "NO!" She squealed and would make an attempt to get away from Veiri. Someone much stronger than she hovered over her though and would hold her still. "Please, no, you're killing him! You're killing him! _Please, please_, I haven't done anything wrong! I have committed no crime! _Please, please, the baby didn't do anything._" She sobbed and fought hard against Tony's arms. Not ready to accept what was happening, what had happened.

Expression tightened as Veiri continued with her actions, speaking as she did so, "Colleen, he is already gone, I am so sorry." The clearing out would be as quick as possible. Tony would be doing his best to hold her down without harming her, prying out glass at the same time to get everything one in one fell swoop.

It was not soon enough for it all to be done. Veiri setting things aside, removing gloves, washing hands, and stealing away the tweezers from Tony before making quick work of removing the rest. Tony would whisper soft words to Colleen, telling her that he was there. Apologizing profusely for starting trouble. Real apologies for all too real pain that he had started the domino effect of. Fingers smoothing out that hair, wiping away tears, forehead resting against hers as he was relieved of the work needed to get the glass. The healer was so much faster than him at this. Soon he could even hear her singing some sort of lullaby.

If he looked up, he would have seen Veiri's healing touches as hands grazed over the cuts. Fingers prodding and shifting bones over into place as best she could. He would have seen that her right arm looked off somehow under the white coat, but instead total focus was given to Colleen instead. "Shhhh see, Veiri is singing to you. Everything will be alright."

Her pleas died to one repeated whimper. "I didn't do anything wrong," again and again, to herself, growing quieter and quieter as Veiri chased the pain away. Her fighting calming to small struggles, these struggles only because she now craved Tony's embrace. "I didn't do anything wrong… I didn't do anything wrong," She whimpered, clearly a broken woman. She brought tear filled eyes to Tony. "Tony," She whispered. "I was going to tell you both at Christmas… I'm sorry…" She sniffled. "I l-love you. I'm sorry."

"Shh, Colleen, you do not have to say sorry. It was my fault." A kiss on her forehead before looking to Veiri for permission to move Colleen. Rigid nod was given in permission as the woman had decidedly vanished off without another word. Meanwhile, Tony rounded the table and scooped her up into his arms, hugging her tightly to himself, "You did nothing wrong, Colleen. I love you too. I am sorry this ever had to happen to you." Too involved with the heartbroken woman to notice that the healer left. Focus given entirely to comforting and cradling her against him. Hand smoothing her dark hair, and he promised himself he was not going to leave her side for the world. Dammit, if he was the cause of this, he was going to make it up to her.

Colleen cried softly against his chest, arms wrapping around him. She snuggled as close as she could get to him, craving his comfort, his warmth, just needing the comfort. Someone to whisper sweet words to her and tell her this wasn't her fault, that she hadn't done anything wrong. "Can… Can I stay in your room… for a while?" She asked tentatively as if she expected the answer to be no.

Bruce sat alone in the lab, hugging his legs to his chest, the rags of what used to be his jeans clinging to his body. He rocked himself slowly. What had he done? Why couldn't he keep his anger in check? Poor Colleen.

Tony looked down at her with a nod, "Of course, but first I want to stay here with you until we know everything is going to be alright. It's been a long day... you should rest." He whispered, kissing the top of her head and resting his chin upon it. Gently he would rock back and forth with a gentle reminder over and over that nothing was her fault and she was a wonderful woman.

Leir had not questioned a thing when Veiri had nearly dragged her away from the waiting room. The anger in her mother's face was evident. Her body was trembling and she could tell that after she had tossed her scrubs and white coat aside, the snug one sleeved shirt showed her arm covered in roots from shoulder to fist. They would warp and wrap around as though they had always belonged in the bleached color. The paths of Yggdrasil had been opened to her and the child to the Valkyrie took on the normal form of the large brown fox. The other end led them within the building, or rather on the roof landing of the building.

"Leir, remain outside." The only words to escape as she went inside. Eyes darted about as heard the welcome of Jarvis.

"Welcome Miss Valkyrie. Are things well?"

"No, but I am about to make it better. Where is Banner?" Jarvis would tell her and she would demand for the firewalls to be raised. The woman was on a mission, her rage bubbling from the hurt she had felt off of Colleen and the lost child. Voice barked out into the halls, "BRUCE BANNER! YET YOUR GANGLING GREEN BEHIND OUT HERE IMMEDIATELY!"

Colleen had snuggled herself as close as she could get to Tony, he could likely feel her heart beat in tandem with his own as she drifted slowly to sleep in his arms, tears staying undried on her cheeks. One hand would not relax though, gripping tightly to the back of his shirt as if terrified he would leave her even in a time of rest. It was this action that could give insight to Tony on Bruce's words.

_"I have watched as you never once hesitated to leave her standing in corners watching you choose something, anything over her again!"_

Even in her rest, she clung to him, scared that he would drop her as he always had.

Bruce heard Veiri's voice and got up to meet her, he was the picture of a man broken and he was not even aware of what had been done to Colleen. Not aware of the unborn child of his own that had been taken from the world before its first breath by his own hand. He just assumed Veiri was here to fuss at him for having nearly broken Colleen in half. His head hung low, like a beaten puppy, refusing to meet her eyes.

Eyes watched the sleeping form, guilt painted on his features. Arms shifted to hold her just a little bit more tightly. Eyes fell closed as he made the mental promise to do better by her. For now he would let her cling to him, one arm moving to grab the nearest clean blanket and drape it over her gently. Everything in his actions towards her was gentle, as she seemed to really need that right then, "I won't drop you any more, Colleen. I promise."

The sad puppy look did nothing to help her mood. The emotions he had only served to annoy her further as he was completely oblivious as to what his loss of control had done. Right hand balled up into a fist. White root tips sunken into her flesh all along her arm being quite visible. Lips parted to speak, but she realized she had none. Nothing could form simply because words paled in comparison to the anger she had towards him. For what no one ought to have suffered, but in the presence of a volatile being, someone did. Fist came to connect with Bruce's jaw in an upper cut. After all, she was NOT going to have him looking down on the floor when he had to realize the extent of his damage.

Colleen had drifted into a sleep quickly in Tony's arms. The hand clinging to his shirt loosened slowly and fell from him completely as her breathing slowed to a steady, almost rhythmic beat. She would still wear the face of pain even in her sleep. It would be a long time before she would be able to heal from this.

The punch came as no surprise to Bruce, the surprise was in the power behind it. He had to take a step back to regain his balance. He brought his eyes to Veiri. "What happened?" He demanded, seeing the anger on her face. The woman regarded Colleen as if she were her own child, much like Romanov did. This was not for breaking Colleen's bones. This was much more serious. "Veiri, what happened? What has happened to Colleen? Is she alive? Oh god, oh god," He held his head with both hands. "What have I done?"

Another step forward as she paused, "Colleen lives." Right fist came up again, aiming to knock him right between the eyes. Enough force put into it where there would likely be grooves of the small roots into his skin. Said roots would give a soft sort of flux between being white and glowing as though it were alive, which it really was when one thought about it. There would be no pause as she strode forward and grabbed Banner's hair into her left hand to drag him towards the nearest and sturdiest wall. A shift in weight and she would go to whip him into the wall with as much force as possible. For the life he took, she was making sure he felt every single pain Colleen had and then some.

Bruce stumbled to his feet and held a hand out to Veiri. "Veiri, _stop_, I know I deserve it, but please, I don't want to hurt you." He begged her as he left out a cough as she had knocked the air out of him. "Veiri, what happened, for god's sake, _tell me_!" He begged, he would likely surprise her as he did not attempt to escape her, but merely stood in front of her. Ready to take whatever she meant to deal out.

The woman stood as she glared at him, cornflower blues piercing. The edged to her features were sharp, ready to cut through that confused expression. Teeth bared as she nearly snarled at him, a far more violent side to her catching on, "You are worried about hurting me? One whom is fighting you? Yet you had no time to worry about if you were going to hurt one with no ability to defend themselves against you?" Another step forward as she went to grip his throat with her lift hand to pin him against the wall before going to clock him in the face again, "You do not deserve to know a thing about her as you obviously hold no concern for when it counts!"

Bruce shoved at Veiri's hand gently, not wanting to hurt anyone else tonight. "I cannot control the hulk, he just smashes the first thing that moves towards him!" He exclaimed. "Veiri, _please_ what has happened to her? I need to know and then you can even kill me afterwards, just let me know what happened to her!" He begged.

Natasha wandered throughout the medical rooms, looking for Colleen, or Veiri, or Tony, anyone that would lead her to Colleen. After a few she stumbled upon one where a man laid on the bed, back to her. She walked quietly closer to see that it was Tony, arm wound protectively around Colleen's waist while the other hand stroked her hair gently. This was a way that Natasha was not used to seeing with Tony. It was clear how much he loved her in the way he looked at her. Natasha gently squeezed his ankle to alert him to her presence.

The Valkyrie was feeling less than willing to cooperate with the man. Despite her normal calm nature, she was angered. The lingering pain and loss on both parties had left an imprint on her. Stomach was still twisted from the very thought of what had to be done to keep Colleen's health intact. Hand was drawn away from his shoving one, "What you have done was taken someone's chance at life." With that, she raised her right fist, balling it up tightly before pivoting her weight into her next swing right for the temple.

Tony stirred with a start, though he checked the snoozing woman in his arms before craning his neck around to look at the red-head, "Hey… man I must have fallen asleep. Did ah, Veiri send you in? Can I take Colleen home?" A yawn escaped before blinking several times to clear the bleary clouds from his eyes. Vision cleared and he looked about to see if anyone else had come in. It took him a bit to realize the exact reasons why he was there. Expression soured before looking to Natasha, "Did she tell you?" He was not sure if she knew of the girl's loss.

The repeated blows to the head were making it relatively difficult to think. He attempted to grasp her words. She just said Colleen lived. He recalled Tony leaving the building unharmed. Then who's chance at life had he taken? His eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "Colleen… Colleen…" He almost couldn't say it, too afraid that he was correct. "She.. Was she carrying a child?"

Natasha shook her head. "I came here on my own." She said quietly. "I do not know where Veiri is. I don't know what happened to Colleen either. Which is why I'm here, I was worried…" she walked over to Colleen's side of the small bed and ran a finger through the girl's hair. "I was _scared_."

The questions kept coming, and it was making it complicated as to if she should answer or if she ought to have kept punching the life out of him. Impulses went with the latter and she drove another punch into him, this time right in the gut. Momentum was used to carry her punch right on through, sending his form to slam into the wall behind him knocking away any furniture in the way, "Yes." It was all she could say before drawing back her right fist and slamming it into his gut again, "You will feel her pain tenfold, Banner."

A frown formed at that new tid bit, although he wasn't entirely aware of what the woman was capable of. As far as he knew, she was gentle, perhaps Veiri was closing herself off due to the empathy? "I was scared too. Physically she will be alright..." He shifted slowly to cradle her into his arms while he sat up. A guilty weight tugged the corners of his lips further, "Veiri couldn't save the baby."

It seemed everyone was looking for the healer as a familiar face stuck his head in. Confused look in hazel eyes as he inspected the room and appeared to be at a loss, "Anyone seen Veiri? Last I saw her she said there was an emergency." Gaze fell onto Colleen and he went silent. A risked question, "Short-stuff alright?"

Bruce coughed and in an attempt to safeguard his body from any internal bleeding, he pushed on Veiri's shoulder with all the strength he had. "She did not tell me! Do you think I didn't try to hold onto my sanity even without that knowledge? If I had known, I would have made her leave the office as soon as I came in! I should have done that!" He defended himself. "If you walked in on Clint face fucking another woman, you'd have a hard time containing your emotions just as well." He did not censor himself, he did not have the train of thought and brain ability to do so.

Natasha smiled in a pained way at Clint and sighed heavily. "Physically, she's going to be fine, Clint." She said. "She just suffered a miscarriage, it will be a long time before she is mentally or emotionally well." She looked sadly at the girl in Tony's arms. "Perhaps we should take her home, we'll all go. Maybe Veiri went there to give Banner a tongue lashing."

That had not been the right thing to respond with, form tensing slightly as she snarled, "I am not you, Banner. I would not risk another's life simply because I discovered I was not found suitable to their needs." Hand came forward, it was becoming sore in its use. After all, there was a legitimate reason for her use of the right arm repeatedly. Grabbing him by the hair, she moved to throw him down onto the ground and pin him with her weight, fist coming down to hit his face again, "Had you known?! You should have left! You only think of her safety after you hurt her! How many 'accidents' do you think I have mended?! I cannot fix this one, Banner!"

The archer simply stared at the group, paling just a fraction, "Did you just say miscarriage? Ah, I don't think there will be a tongue lashing. Might be mopping up green bean guts. We might want to go. Like. Now. Actually, I'll meet you all there. Just wait like... an hour." Without much more of an explanation, Clint left. Luckily he was still in his normal gear, there was rarely a moment he was ever without it.

It took a few moments for Tony to look up to Natasha, "Did he just say what I think he said? Perhaps... we ought to wait. Colleen has had enough stress. This would make it worse." A shift as he unconsciously cuddled the said woman closer to his form.

Bruce no longer put up a fight but just took the beating. He shouldn't have opened his mouth at all when trying to make a clear thought process out of a battered head. Instead, he merely whimpered a repeated apology, though it wasn't to Veiri. "I'm so sorry, Colleen," he choked out. "I'm so sorry, I'm such an idiot. I'm a monster."

Natasha nodded. "She'd try to stop them. She'd try to comfort Bruce, you know she would." She said quietly. "Sometimes I don't think the girl was born with much self-preservation."

Colleen shifted in Tony's arms, hands would move to grab a handful of his shirt and to rest lightly against his chest, over his arc reactor. She whimpered slightly in her sleep. Veiri had healed Colleen physically but Colleen was not able to escape the memories in her sleep and were likely repeating tenfold. "Tony," Her voice was hardly more than a whisper and was more of a stifled sob than anything. She did not wake though.

Unknown to Veiri, Leir had slipped off back to the base. It wasn't hard to tell the mood her mother was in. No, she was waiting patiently as Clint had arrived outside. Man pushed along wordlessly as she led him back to the tower where Veiri was violently hammering her fist into Bruce's face. Blood was staining her hands, both his and her own as she kept catching bone against knuckle. It could have been conceived as a miracle the man was holding up to her violent outburst. Truth in the matter was she was healing just enough to not cause bones to break while simultaneously making sure blood spilled from his face.

A sight that was in short, terrifying. To actually witness the sharp bladed edges to her features so well hidden. Clint silently thanked Leir before coming up behind her. An insane chance taken as he knelt down, and caught her fist before it knocked Banner in the eye. Gaze flew up for her blue eyes to meet his hazel ones. Sharp edges suddenly shattered like glass and she trembled. Lips parted weakly as she attempted to force out words, "He hurt her so _**much**_"

It was because she felt it. The fact that Clint already knew the crime committed. Instead of reprimanding her for patience shattering and beating a breaking man into the ground, he stood and gently brought her to stand with him. In that rare instance she seemed almost shorter than him as face buried into his shoulder, "I know, Eir. Come on, let's get out of here. Stark is bringing Colleen home. Don't want her to worry about you, right?"

Gently pushing herself from the archer, she looked to him with a pained look. Guilt obviously written into her features and the roots still wrapped about her right arm, "I need to do something first."

"I think he has enough blood loss."

"I'm not going to punch him again." Veiri whispered softly, kneeling down by Banner's head and resting her palm on it. Eyes fell closed as she gave a quiet and bitter whisper to the scientist, "Banner, it is because Colleen loves you that I am doing this. I will not rip her away from you, but you shall never hurt her or anyone ever again because you could not control yourself." As words were spoken, roots took on a white glow and all that was left was blood stains on the man. Banner was then healed. At the moment the glowing stopped, Veiri leaned down and whispered into his ear, "You shall be the Hulk no more." With forced strength, she would stand and allow herself to be led off by Clint with promise of drink.

Tony gave a pained look down to Colleen and hug her tightly, "Shh I am here Colleen. I won't leave you any more, I promise." It was a promise he was going to fight to keep. Eyes looked to Natasha beseechingly, "What do I do then? I can't tell her to not talk to Banner. Her heart is broken enough without that nonsense. The girl is so selfless she is likely to defend him somehow. No doubt the Valkyrie will rip my ears off for even suggesting they are in the same building."

Bruce lay still, in shock, feeling somewhat weaker in the aftermath of being healed, and tears still laid undried on his cheeks. He was the Hulk no more? He wouldn't have to worry about keeping his mood so perfectly in check lest he kill someone? That alone was a lot to take in, but also the fact that he had almost been a father. He had caused Colleen to have a miscarriage; there was no worse thing someone could put a woman through short of having a stillbirth or having a child be killed. He had never hated himself more in a single moment than he did right then. Would Colleen ever let him touch her again? Would he ever feel her warm embrace again? Now that he did not technically need her, would she still want him around? Would she marry Tony now? It would be the sane choice. Would Tony let him stay here? He pressed both hands to his face and openly sobbed now that he was alone. What had he done?

"Colleen would blame herself for this whole ordeal," Natasha said and then corrected herself. "Colleen _will_ blame herself. And she's so fragile now that if you scold her for that she may cry." She sighed. "I do not what I would have you do. I don't even know what I would do… maybe… tell her you don't want her talking to him until you've had the opportunity to talk to him first. To tell him what happened, to let him know in vivid detail the way Colleen has suffered at his hand. But also, he needs a friend now too. Colleen was not the only one who lost a child. It was his, correct?" She bit her lip to hide a tiny smile. "I'm sorry, but I do not ask Colleen for details on how the intimacy works at the tower."

Tony stared at her as though she grew a new life form from her _nose_. "Ah, flattering, but no. Bruce about killed me today for even hinting on wanting Colleen." Guilt bubbled up and he grit his teeth as he fought to keep that one from breaking him. After all, there was a woman in his arms who suffered far more. "It's been an hour right? I think it's time I get her home. She already asked to stay in my room." Conversations about Bruce could be done with the woman after she had some rest.

Slowly, he stood with the sleeping Colleen. Unfortunately, in all of the rush she was still wearing that same dress. Blood still stained her skin even after wounds were healed. Evidence of damage was still there, "I wish I didn't have to wake her up. There is no quiet way to get home." Sure he could fly back with her, although that wasn't exactly quiet either. How in the world did everyone else get around quickly and quietly?

The movement began to wake Colleen and her eyes fluttered open. "Tony!" She all but screamed until she saw she was being held by the exact man she cried out for. She looked around bewilderedly as everything that had just happened slowly came back to her. She caught glimpse of herself in the mirror that was attached to the back of the door. She saw the blood stains on her legs. She fought with Tony until he understood she wanted to be let go and placed her down. As she walked towards her reflection, tears welled in her eyes. Her hands shook as she brought them to the edge of her skirt. She looked at the stains on her legs, a blood stained hemline on the expensive fabric. She dropped the fabric and her hands continued to tremble as she brought them to her stomach and as she brought them up to look at Tony in the mirror they were void of their eternal light. "If it was a girl," She whispered. "I wanted to name her Antonia." Her mouth formed a hard line across her face as she fought the tears she was holding back. It would take only moments before the tears won and with a small sob of defeat, Colleen fell to her knees, her hands hiding her face as she let the tears control her, sobs ripped through her so hard that her entire body trembled with each one. She was a woman broken.

It was a painful task just to let her go from his arms. To watch her walk forward to stare at the reflection. For realization to smash into her and shatter her foundation so soundly before she crumbled down onto the floor. As soon as she had started trembling, he was walking forward. Wading through the ocean of guilt that filled the room. Body crashing down into those depths as every word of hers rocked his core. How every sound that tore through her also tore through him. Strong arms powerless to solve such problems. Yet they would circle her. Pull her trembling sobbing form into his chest. Bury his face into her hair and whisper apologies into the strongest voice he could manage.

For her. He had to do it for her now. Strength had to be maintained either in truth or forgery. Someone had to be the new foundation to rebuild the broken, "It's been a long day, Colleen. I am sorry it has been such a crummy day. Let's get home and you can rest. I promised you that you could use my room, remember? I'll let you have 70% of my bed, you can steal all of the covers. Buddy can sleep in the bed too if you want." Words tumbled out as he moved to scoop her into the snug embrace of his arms. Cradling her much like one would a child. A slow and unsteady hand before looking to Natasha, "Got a ride waiting for us by any chance?"

Natasha nodded, silent tears slid their way down her face as well. She had never carried a child before but she did know what it was like to lose one, after all, they all thought Loki meant to kill Colleen. Natasha did not have words to offer in comfort, she was too afraid that if she tried to say a single word she would begin to weep. She opened the door for Tony and gestured for him to go through.

Colleen clung to Tony as if her life very well depended on it. Sobbing questions against his neck, "Am I being punished for something?" She cried. "Is it all the times I've stolen to live? It is it all the lies I've told to keep from being abducted and hurt?" The tears kept coming from her and they seemed never ending. "Tony," she whimpered and then she spoke something no one would ever want to hear from someone as endlessly happy and full of life as Colleen. "I'd rather die. You should have let me die. This living, this is worse."

Striding through with as much willpower mustered to not fall apart mirroring the broken woman. Voice was softer than he would have expected himself to produce with the current mental state. It was as though his brain was cruising in auto pilot, "You aren't being punished, Colleen. Everything has been an unfortunate accident. I will never let you die. You are exhausted and have been through a lot today, you should get rest. We will be home soon. You will feel better once we are home with Buddy. I bet he misses you."

Rambling, rambling to push through the mess of emotions that plagued him. Walking down halls while trying to avoid her crushing pressure on the ever-in-danger heart. Continued whispers to try and keep her somewhat tied to the world of the living as he was afraid of what might happen if she simply gave up. Refused to live because of the loss. Soft reassurances of always being there, to have Buddy there. Just something to anchor herself to instead of floating away.

Natasha led them to the car and opened the back door for Tony get into as she circled around to get to the driver's side. Pausing a moment to take a deep breath to steady herself and wipe the tears from her eyes. When she did get into the car she was met with a much scarier sound than the harsh sobs that had been ripping through Colleen. She was met with silence save small sniffles. Colleen had shoved herself as close to the window of the car that she could and had just gone completely silent, her lifeless eyes falling to her lap, where her hands lay limp. Natasha almost longed for the sobs back; it meant Colleen could still feel, this silence meant that Colleen had forgotten how to fight. She did not even hold herself; she would not even soothe herself. She had gone numb and Natasha could not think of what to say, how to comfort her, what were the right words? So she just shut the door and started the car.

…

Sobs ripped through Bruce as he made attempts to move from his place on the floor. His body ached from the sobs that racked his chest. He pushed himself from the floor and headed back down to the lab. A place he could hide until he was confronted again, a place he could sob, a place he could pretend that he did not know what he knew.

…

Silence from the woman not only worried Natasha, but it dug at Tony as well. He would sit as close as allowed, hand reaching out to smooth her hair despite her obvious signs of giving up. For all of his guilty pleasures in the world, he would give them up before a blink even shot through as an impulse just to see life back in those dead eyes. Every once in a while, he would lean forward and press his lips against the top of her head. The motions of the car only droned on with the silence. Whizzing vehicles passed them by as a last rush for the supposedly cheerful holiday that tomorrow should have been. Dark browns simply kept watch on her before he whispered softly, "I love you, Colleen. I know you can make it through this just like every other challenge. No matter what, I promise to be at your side." It would never be an empty promise. The man wished to be there for her for as long as she would accept his presence. Such thoughts were shoved away, not looking forward to actually reaching home.

Colleen did not lean away from his touches and kisses but she neither leaned into them. As the car neared the door she lifted her hand to the window and finally lifted her blue eyes to Tony's. Her hand, cold from the window came up to trace her fingertips along his jawline. She placed a kiss, a gentle and sad one against his lips, a kiss nearly void of emotion, meant to make him feel better, because even now in her lifeless heart, she was still the same Colleen. She was still far more concerned with Tony and Bruce than herself. "I'll be alright," She whispered as she opened the door. "Do I need to go talk to Bruce now?" It was as if she was asking if Tony was commanding her to do so.

It didn't have the same warmth that it should have had. Yet there was hope that if she retained that small semblance of herself, then they could build on something. A foundation for recovery even if cracked. Fingers ran along her cheek when she asked him if she was required to speak to Bruce. A softened gaze before pressing lips onto her forehead, "No, you don't need to talk to him. Tonight you get some rest, alright? It's been a long day." He would open the door on his side and quickly round about the vehicle before she even exited through her open door. Hand was offered to her to give her something to balance against when stepping out. It was still cold out, the woman had no coat on, no doubt she was freezing, and "I will give you all of the blankets in the house. The largest fluffiest ones we have. It's a tad frigid tonight."

Colleen did not look at Tony as she exited the car. She looked at the tower as if it was a large ominous presence come to suck her in. She sighed heavily and pressed herself as close to Tony as she could get. It was very cold out and she was basically in a mini skirt. She remained that way as he led her into the building. "I'm going to go get a shower," She looked up at Tony. "It _was_ okay if I shared your bed? I don't want to be alone but I don't want to be with him either."

A nod given to her, a ghost of a smile managed. At least there was some warmth in his eyes when he spoke, an attempt at reassurance for her safety, "Yeah, I can share the bed with you. If you really want, I know you like when Buddy sleeps next to you. Where is that little rascal anyway?" Inside it was much warmer, Jarvis having done a good job at maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature. Thank goodness for small favors. Giving her a gentle squeeze of a hug he spoke softly, "You get your shower and feel free to curl up in bed with Buddy awhile. I am going to have a chat with Bruce." A mental note made to have Jarvis keep an eye on her clearly in fear of her emotional state taking a dip without him there.

…

Bruce could be located in the lab, still taking the news hard, sobbing more than he had ever in his life. He didn't see any sign of stopping; he saw no end to the tears.

Colleen headed to the bathroom, wanting desperately to get out of the bloodstained clothes and the bloodstained skin. Buddy found her quickly and she ran her hands over his head. "Hey handsome." She said sadly as she walked into Tony's room and opened one of his drawers. She was sure he wouldn't mind if she borrowed a t-shirt of his to sleep in. She didn't want to go to hers and Bruce's room besides the two seconds she'd already spent there getting clean undergarments. She didn't want to go anywhere that reminded her of him…that reminded her of the child she'd lost. As she was rummaging for the softest of his t-shirts, her hand hit something metal. She fished it out and found it was a pocket knife. He'd likely had it in the pocket of a pair of pants while in the wash and it wound up in the drawer. She rolled it against her palm, seeing the blood crusted beneath her nails. She could use it to clean them. There was no sense in attempt to see where Tony hid his nail clippers, this worked just as well. She held it in her palm, grabbing one of Tony's shirts and going into his bathroom.

She set the pocket knife atop her clean clothes on the sink and then began to slowly strip from her soiled and stained dress. She looked at herself in the mirror. The blood stains were in places that they shouldn't be. Her hands fell back to her flat stomach where a baby was growing only hours ago. She took a deep breath and walked over to the shower, setting the temperature to hell and jumping in. She took her time scrubbing herself clean, washing her hair as well and pausing to breathe deeply and convince herself not to cry.

Once out of the shower, she dried herself off and walked back to the sink where the pocket knife lay. She picked it up again, sliding the knife out of its haven and out into the open. She slid it beneath her nails, cleaning the dried blood from beneath them. She caught her skin at one point and a small bubble of blood welled up from her finger. She glared up at her reflection. "There's no one to stop you." She whispered. "This is your fault. You deserve to be punished." She turned to the door and flipped the lock. "That child is not alive because of _you_!" She snapped at her own reflection and with that she dug the knife into her skin. Ignoring the sounds of her dog scratching and crying at the door as she began to work on carving a B into the high part of her arm, "you _bitch_" She snapped at herself. The dog had run off as she finished her 'B' and began on an 'I'. She heard Jarvis's mumbled tone in the background but all she was focused on was punishing herself.

No time was wasted when Tony split paths from Colleen. Sooner he got this done, the sooner he could hold the woman and offer his comfort once more. A whisper to the nearest counsel, "Jarvis, keep an eye on Colleen alright? If it even seems like she is sneezing wrong, I want to know about it."

"Of course sir. Banner is in the lab, although I would suggest-"

"Jarvis, unless it has to do directly with Colleen, stay on mute, will you? I'm trying to think." With that he make the brisk walk to the lab. The sounds Tony heard as he approached made him frown. Was the man in there crying? What Natasha said earlier made him grit his teeth. _**She wasn't the only one who lost a child**_. He entered the lab and looked about the room immediately to find the sobbing man, "Bruce, where are you hiding? We need to talk."

A moment didn't even pass before he uttered the words, "In the morning Colleen and I are leaving. I have a feeling that staying here isn't healthy for her, probably won't ever be. You did it, man, you broke your music box." A defeated sigh as he looked to the ceiling, obviously uncomfortable with this situation. Heart to hearts were not his forte. A moment passed before adding, "Guess it is my fault too. All of this mess."

Bruce choked back a sob. "Damn it, Tony," He grumbled as he attempted to still the tears coming from his eyes. "I didn't just break my music box, I shattered everything that lay inside it. I have taken that fragile, ever trusting glass heart of hers and thrown it into a wall. I am quite possibly the vilest human being on earth. If there were a list, I would easily be right under Hitler." He leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath to steady himself. "It isn't your fault that I lost control of my temper. I mean, you should have kept your dick in your pants, but I shouldn't have gotten that angry. Leaving here is probably a good idea, she needs to get away for a bit. Can… can you at least let me say goodbye to her before you go?"

Jarvis crackled on but was drowned out by Buddy's barking outside the lab door, followed by what sounded like the dog was actually throwing itself against the door.

…

Colleen was crying, her eyes becoming clouded as she took a minute to stop her assault on her arm, laying her arm in the sink, she had gotten to the T. She pushed the tears from her face. "Miss Romanov-Stark, please do not hurt yourself any more. I am sending Tony up." Jarvis spoke to her and it even sounded as if the program was also panicked. She brought the pocket knife back to her skin with a small cry. If Tony was coming to stop her, she needed to finish the job quickly and make sure it hurt.

"No, it is my fault too. Pretty sure we both made it to the evil list. Couldn't keep my nose out of where it didn't belong. Tried, but you know how it is when you're stuck out in the cold and you see a warm place." A sigh as shoulders sagged before adding, "I'll have to ask her. Right now I don't think she is going to want to ta-" The frantic barking followed by the thumps made Tony's expression stretch with worry.

"Jarvis, speak up. Why is Buddy acting like there is a cat hiding in here?" Panic started to well up as he opened the door right before the dog barreled himself right into it again. Something was obviously very wrong, "Buddy, why aren't you with Colleen? Jarvis, what's going on and speak up!"

"Colleen is harming herself, sir. Seems to have located a knife. It seems she is rushing by the heart rate."

As soon as the first sentence had come out, Tony had already begun running down the hall yelling at the top of his lungs, "COLLEEN!" He would run up stairs, dash to the bathroom door and wrench at the handle. Panic rose in him, "Colleen! Please stop and open this door! You have no reason to hurt yourself! None of this is your fault!" He would lift his foot up and kick at the door where the knob was at. It would be done repeatedly despite it jarring the joints in his leg, "Jarvis, can't we unlock this thing?!"

"I was not programmed to unlock the bathroom doors. You did not want to invade their privacy, sir. This is _your_ bathroom. I can attempt to open it." Jarvis said. The tone made the program even sound worried.

From the other side of the door, Colleen let out another sharp cry as she finished the final letter. 'Bitch' in all capital letters was dug into her left arm. She glared up at her own reflection once more. It hadn't been enough. She still hated the person looking back at her. She fondled the knife again. Then turned her focus to the medicine cabinets. As soon as she attempted to open one it was locked. "FUCK YOU, JARVIS." she snarled. "I will just have to do it slower then. More painfully." she took the knife and brought it to her carotid artery. Just one little cut. She just needed to find the courage to press down.

As she came close to finding that courage, the latch to the door was unlocked. "I got it sir!" Jarvis said and for the entire world he sounded relieved.

As soon as the door was unlocked, Tony threw it open, sweeping down on the wounded woman in a near football tackle. Fingers went to grab at the knife at the same time, not even caring that the blade dug into fingers. At least it was his skin and not hers. Knife was thrown out into the hall as far away as possible as all of his weight was pressed down on her. Fingers, both bleeding and not, would spread out to grab onto her wrists and inspect the damage. Seeing the word 'Bitch' spelled out. Panic gave way to a less than pleasant mood, "This? This is how you think of yourself when it wasn't your fault? Colleen, you could not have controlled the outcome."

Colleen struggled hard against Tony's hold on her. "Let me go," she all but screamed at him. "I do not deserve this life. I do not deserve you!" there was strength in the woman's hatred for herself because she was putting up a damn good struggle against him. "Slut was next! Right into that artery! For all to see what I am! What my impulses did to my baby! I am no better than the girls on the street corner in the filthy ghetto! I am a bad person Tony! I am a bad girl! I am bad! Broken! You should let me end it. You deserve better! The world deserves better! Let me go!" the fight began to seep out of her as she fell to tears again and began begging him. "Please just let me go!"

The woman sure kicked up a hell of a fight, but Tony still pressed down onto her. Eyes looking at her with a mixture of passion, guilt, and reprimanding, "You deserve so much more than life, Colleen! You deserve the ability to hold a child! It was not your impulses at fault, it was mine!" It was near impossible to deny her begging tears, but what she asked for he could not give. Death was not something he was willing to allow. "You don't deserve death, Colleen. None of this was ever your fault. It was mine."

Colleen let out a loud sob that Tony wouldn't be able to tell if it stemmed from physical pain or emotional. She made the fingers on her right hand straight and crushed them as close as they could get to one another. She wiggled the wrist, already slick with blood until she managed to move it from under Tony's hand. What had Natasha taught her in this situation? She attempted to press against Tony, to roll him off her but he was too heavy and too strong. "Let me go, Tony." She demanded, pushing hard against his shoulder. She was certain that hand would not be allowed free for much longer. "None of anything is ever anyone's fault but mine. You weren't the one who tried to calm the Hulk with a three month old baby in your womb. You weren't the idiot who did that were you? You aren't stupid, Tony. I am. I am so _fucking_ stupid." She pulled her knee up and used it to press against Tony's stomach, attempting to give herself enough leverage to push him off of her. "Stupid people who make stupid decisions deserve to be punished for their stupid decisions full of _stupidity_. I am a _stupid_ person."

Tony had no choice but to flatten his weight entirely against her, hands tightening against hers and forcing them against the floor. Voice was rising and the warmth was seeping out with every struggle to end her own life, "Colleen, had I not given in and pulled that stunt, there would have been no reason to calm Banner! Yes, you tried to soothe him! A much better job than I was doing! My job was to protect you in case he lost his temper and I failed!"  


Colleen let out a small cry as Tony pressed his weight down on her knee. "We can argue all night about whose fault this or you can just let me slit my throat and you can go on about your life." Colleen snarled at him. "You don't need me around anyhow. No one needs me around. I'm useless. There is no need for me to just be taking up space in your tower." She wiggled her wrists beneath him again. "Let me _go_, Anthony Stark."

"Colleen Romanov-Stark, I will not let you go. I will not get off of you. You are going to stop with this nonsense about killing yourself! I will replace every damn piece of furniture and appliance with soft squishy marshmallows it that keeps you from killing yourself!" Dark browns stared down at her, his feeling of being at a loss was destroying him slowly. What if he simply could not change her mind? If he spent hours upon hours convincing her only to turn around and lose her. It scared him, he did not want to ever lose her. "Colleen if I lost you... I would not know what to do! I have never celebrated Christmas until I met you! Never had jingle bells trapped in my head until you came along! Never secretly enjoyed all of the lights I see at night when everyone is asleep and I work late! You are my light Colleen! If you die then I will too!"

Tony's eyes were flooding quickly with tears and Colleen had never seen him this way. She stopped fighting him, sliding her hand, with some effort from Tony's grasp once more. Instead of using the free hand to push him, it reached up to stroke his cheek tenderly. "Tony…" She whispered soothingly. "Tony, Shh," She pleaded softly. "You're not going to, baby, you aren't going to." She hadn't realized that what Tony had said during his proposal to her was true. Tony needed her and not just because he had some anger tick like Banner, Tony simply needed her. She could not leave him alone. Not when he loved her so purely, when he needed her so innocently without underlying reasons. "Shh, Tony, if I promise to behave, will you let me go so I can hold you?" she begged. "I want to hold you, I just want to hold you, please."

Eyes tried to blink away the hot sensation blurring his vision. That small hand was let free and brushing up against him. It had not been an intentional ploy to pull her caring nature out of her. In fact he had reacted impulsively once more, speaking the first things that came to mind because he really did not wish to lose her. Hesitation before he nodded and slowly sat up. "You have to promise never to do that again. If I would have lost you today..."

"You would have been just fine. You would have found someone prettier and smarter, who could make you happier." Colleen said pushing herself from the bathroom floor, painfully. "What am I promising never to do? I can promise not to kill myself…" She looked at her bleeding arm. "I don't know if I can promise not to hurt myself…"

A frown formed as he responded quietly, "You are the prettiest and the smartest, Colleen. You make me the happiest." Hands gently reached out to her bleeding arm, one gently grasping her hand while the other dug out the first aid kit from under the sink and dug around for a large gauze bandage and anti-septic spray. "Hurting yourself can turn into killing. Emotions and pain tend to get carried away. Please don't harm yourself anymore. That hurts just as much as seeing you kill yourself." The blood... her blood... he never wanted to see that again. There had been so much of it that day, couldn't it just stop showing up?

Colleen's free hand caressed every inch along Tony's cheek, down to his shoulder, across his chest. She sighed heavily. "What do I do when I want to?" She whimpered. "Tell you so you can tie me to the bed or paddle me for even thinking of it?" There was a glimmer of mischief in her voice, just a particle of it, but it was there.

A rough laugh at the suggestion, even catching the old hints of the old Colleen. The one that had been here before all of the trouble started, "Well I have always wanted to see how you would do with handcuffs. Paddles are no fun though... I'd use my hand." A joking smile before leaning forward and hesitating merely inches from her. A last minute ditch of plans as he pressed lips against her cheek instead, "Come on, it's time to get some sleep." The spray had been applied, alcohol wipe swabbed along the injury. Bandage wrapped around the atrocious word and secured with medical tape. Not perfect, but it worked well enough.

"Tomorrow we are going to a different tower. Decorations and everything. Closer to Natasha too. If you really want, I can invite your angel and Clint over for Christmas. Can make Jarvis call them as soon as possible if you want. We will decorate everything with fake snow and garland, that can be what you can do every time you want to hurt yourself. Just decorate."

Colleen stood and looked at Tony with sad eyes, sliding her hand into his she stopped him from moving. "W-Why didn't you kiss me?" She asked. "Also, if I want to hurt myself a lot, the whole place is going to look like a cheesy Christmas card. It would even make Cindy Lou Who say Bah humbug."

"Then it will look like the cheesiest Christmas card in the planet, Colleen. It will also be the prettiest." He managed as he finally stood straight, ignoring the blood he still had not gotten rid of yet. Eyes settled on her, he had put off answering the first question. Lips parted as he wanted to make up an excuse, but he could not, "It was because I wanted at least a kiss that this happened. What if kissing you ruins your life more?"

Colleen approached the man, taking his face between her hands gently. "Anthony Stark, if I am not to blame myself for this then neither are you." She scolded. "You showed me a side of Bruce that he had kept hidden, you showed me what jealousy will do to him. You have also showed me how much you love me. I had not known that. You showed me that I can be needed without having a specific reason for keeping me around." One hand slipped from his cheek to swat his backside lightly. She brought that hand back up to shake a finger at him. "You will not blame yourself, do you hear me? I love you, Tony Stark." She pushed up on tiptoes to press lips gently against his.

Perhaps he would have laughed if it wasn't for that spark of a smile forming when she started slipping into old habit. Or the flames being fanned when she spoke those three words he never imagined himself treasuring. Thoughts slipped away as soon as soft sweet sensation pressed against his lips. Arms automatically circling her waist to hold her close. Losing her was not an option. Drawing away reluctantly, he spoke softly, "I love you too, Colleen. I think it is time you get some sleep. You had Buddy worried you know." With a quick movement he scooped her up bridal style and turned to leave the messy bathroom, "I did promise you could sleep in my bed after all. It is the most comfortable one in the world last I checked."

"You'll sleep with me right?" She asked imploringly. "I don't want to be in bed alone. I want you to hold me." She bit her lip as he deposited her on the bed gently. She reached arms back up towards him, like a child wanting to be carried. "Please, hold me?"

A pause given as he was still covered in blood. Her blood. A look towards his dresser and then a smile, "Alright hold on, let me get cleaned up somewhat decently." With that he made the rather quick motions of grabbing boxers and a white shirt, changing speedily before striding back over towards the bed and sitting down beside her. Arms immediately wrapped around her in a big hug, "There, now you won't be alone."

"Tony?" She whispered, snuggling close to his chest, his body heat making her warm quickly and her eyes slowly closing. "You were always my favorite. I never felt like I _had_ to be around you. I just wanted to be." Her fingers slid up his shirt, to trace the sensitive skin around his arc reactor. "I never felt like I _had_ to hug you, but I always wanted to. I never felt like I _had_ to love you, I just did. That's the way a relationship is supposed to work, right?" She pressed a sad kiss to his neck, her voice became almost inaudible as she drifted to sleep. "I always loved you more. I just wasn't allowed to say it."

Tony's eyes filled with tears at the little woman's words. Loved him more. She'd always loved him more. He pulled her closer, rubbing soothing circles into her back. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I love you most." He whispered.


	12. A WARNING

WARNING NOW:

There may or may not be a non-consensual spanking scene in the next chapter.

Between Tony and Colleen

I'm neither confirming nor denying it yet because I don't know which way I'm going with the next chapter.

It's not going to be very brutal if there is one.

But I had someone send me a rude message when Thor spanked Colleen in his story.

So if you're going to have an issue with it, I'll put the warning at the beginning of the chapter.

This way I didn't spring it on you.

This message will self destruct in a few days.


End file.
